Following up with my last blog and considering that I do not want to be Mr. Scrooge, I am trying to recover the joy of this different Christmas, and one of the ways I have found to do it is by thinking about the joy of the little ones. They still see the world through a lenses in which we cannot hide, that make up reality, and therefore they have not lost the desire to smile, despite the masks, or to hug or kiss their loved ones, and the illusion of Christmas and Santa Claus. They have awoken something in me: the desire to experience this Christmas 2020 in the best way possible and to keep alive the illusion of being able to join each other and come together, even if we need to be separated and we cannot celebrate it as usual but knowing that this will pass and that we will recover the traditions. This is a parenthesis in our lives that has to serve us to appreciate what we have, when we have it, because now that we lack it, we know why we miss it and this is what should make us reflect.

So today the recommendations are for the little ones, and not so little of the house, because a book does not cease to be one of the best gifts that can be made, and in this 2020, I believe this applies more than ever, when reinventing yourself or starting adventures in fantastic worlds are among the best things that can happen to us.

To share with the little ones of the house: There are three books in the agency that fascinate me LA VUELTA AL AÑO EN 365 CUENTOS by Gabriel García del Oro and Puri Hernández, CUENTOS PARA NIÑOS FELICES by Francesc Miralles and Álex Rovira and SERES FANTÁSTICOS by Ana Alcolea: All three are for parents or grandparents to share with the little ones the stories in those special moments of the day, like, for example, before going to bed or that Sunday afternoon we stayed at home. Ideal moments to relax, to go into an adventure and to talk, to express ourselves. Talking with the little ones makes us grow, and sometimes we don’t take the time to do it because we believe that if someone in the house needs to talk, they will come and ask to speak, and that is difficult. Dialogue is necessary to know what each one feels or needs, and these readings are the perfect excuse. Warm and fantastic stories that will help us to strengthen this bond, which is so difficult for some of us, and so necessary for all of us.

For the middle-grade ones: This complicated age group, that perhaps likes screens more than books, is very faithful to a series when they stick to it and fall in love with the stories, because they still don’t have an iPad or a cell phone all day long within reach. It is the ideal moment so that they do not give up on the reading. For them we recommend LA PUERTA DE LOS TRES CERROJOS, which takes us into the world of quantum physics, which we have already proven that it is a branch in science that they love. They are attracted to this series by what seems inexplicable and because with these adventures Sonia Fernandez-Vidal gives them meaning. Rick Riordan’s trilogies, a bestseller, they take us into mythology and its worlds. PERCY JACKSON, already a classic, or THE HEROES OF OLYMPUS are a sure bet for fantasy lovers, and SPLENDIDA by Sacha Azcona, which invites us to the fantastic adventure of its protagonist with great skill and tells us why children do not like vegetables.

For those already in their teens: LOS CINCO CONTINENTES DEL AMOR, a different, funny and current love story that has a lot of appeal, with two top authors behind it, Francesc Miralles and Javier Ruescas. Discover what kind of lover you are together with the main character of this novel that, along with an atlas of love, will explain the importance of loving and being loved.

For all audiences: A SON and A SECRET by Alejandro Palomas. Two wonderful works that both young and older people like. Guille’s world is as real as it is magical, and for this reason Palomas has managed to hook two audiences by dealing with hard themes through the eyes of a very special child who, in spite of everything, does not lose his illusion. So for those who, like me, find this Christmas different and difficult to digest, I encourage them to think about the illusion of others, young or old, and I am sure that in this way we will recover a part of that Christmas spirit that takes away from us a sad reality, but that we cannot change, we can only accept it and think that everything will be fine and better in the end.