The new El Barco de Vapor CARIBE Award is underway
(San Juan, Puerto Rico, April 19, 2018) - The SM Foundation announced that the jury for the eleventh edition of the El Barco de Vapor Children's Literature Award has unanimously declared writer, editor, and musician C. J. García as the winner for his novel Buen viaje, Kekái (Safe Travels, Kekái), whose manuscript was submitted under the pseudonym "Hoja suelta."
The work for young readers narrates the adventure of a coquí that, having been born in Hawaii—where it is considered a pest—discovers its true origin and sets off for the country where its song is venerated: Puerto Rico. It is a comedy of errors, a blend of fable and travelogue.
Writers Vanessa Droz, Ana Teresa Toro, and Manolo Núñez Negrón; illustrator Walter Torres; and, representing SM, the executive editor of Children's and Young Adult Literature, Talía Rivera—serving as jurors for this edition of the contest—highlighted the merit of "a work that knew how to utilize a symbol of the local identity while avoiding clichés to build an original, emotional, and at the same time comic story; one of valuing one's own roots, universal searching, and human fulfillment."
In the award statement, they maintained: "Evident in the author of Buen viaje, Kekái are his proficiency in narrative techniques, especially in creating suspense to keep the reader 'hooked' on the story (a fundamental requirement to encourage reading among our youth); his mastery of precise terms to create the atmosphere of this chronicle; his handle of the Spanish language and its structures to grant fluidity to the narration; and a deep research background, which contributes—through precise data and references—to granting plausibility to the narrated odyssey."
Buen viaje, Kekái will be published in the Blue Series (for readers ages seven and up) of SM's El Barco de Vapor Collection. With SM, the writer also published the young adult novel No a los unicornios (No to Unicorns) in 2016.
C. J. García, who in 2010 won the fourth edition of the contest with the novel Dale la vuelta (Turn It Around), will receive his second statuette on the night of Friday, April 27, at the Raúl Juliá Theater of the Puerto Rico Museum of Art. Writers, educators, artists, and book managers have been invited to the ceremony, a cultural event to celebrate children's and young adult literature.
The El Barco de Vapor Award, which is convened annually, selects a narrative text that shows singular literary excellence and appeal, intended for readers between the ages of 6 and 13. In Puerto Rico, it has been awarded to the novels PEPE GORRAS O LA HISTORIA DE UN PERRO SIN CABEZA by Tina Casanova; VIAJE A ISLA DE MONA by Mayra Montero; LA ESCUELITA DO-RE-MISTERIOSA by Isabel Arraiza Arana; DALE LA VUELTA by C. J. García; LAS AVENTURAS DE JUAN CECILIO EN LA CIUDAD PERDIDA by Samuel Silva Gotay; ANTRÓPOLIS by Janette Becerra; CLUB DE CALAMIDADES by José Rabelo; EL DRAGÓN DORMIDO by Mayra Montero; LAS PALABRAS PERDIDAS by Ernesto Guerra Frontera; and EL VISITANTE DE LAS ESTRELLAS by Pabsi Livmar.
Buen viaje, Kekái will be available for purchase in bookstores across the country and in SM's online store: sm-pr.com
SM is a cultural and educational project with two fully integrated areas of action: the editorial work of the SM companies, dedicated to the development of educational content and services, religious publications, and children's and young adult literature; and the social work of the SM Foundation, which allocates the profits of the editorial group to improve the quality of education and bring teaching and culture to the most disadvantaged sectors of society. Currently, SM is one of the most prominent actors in the Ibero-American publishing sector, with clear leadership in its fields of action. Its project is strengthened in each of the nine countries where it operates: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Spain, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.
Inquiries:
