Toletis

by Rafa Ruiz, Elena Hormiga (Illustrator), Ben Dawlatly (Translator)

The trees are disappearing and the adults don't care. Toletis, his dog Amenophis and friends Claudia and Tutan are on a mission to turn their little valley town, set deep in the mountains, lusciously green again. The odds are stacked against them. Can they succeed ...with some very unusual help? A deep appreciation for nature, art, language, music, friendship, family, the passing of time, old age, loneliness, and the importance of sitting still and reflecting on life, pervade this exquisite story. A must read for 7 to 107 year olds!

162 pages, Paperback

Published October 19, 2017

Reviews

[Lel Budge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toletis is a young boy with an absolute, all encompassing love of nature. He notices the trees are disappearing, some due to a fire, other due to logging and building a road. So, he and his friends, Claudia and Tutan decide to plant their apple pips to grow more trees.

The adults keep putting obstacles in their way, but the find the perfect spot and soon the magic happens. We meet the treenie-weenies, the souls of the lost trees and the determined thrushes too.

This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It shows the love of nature and what we are doing to destroy it…..it also shows how we could easily repair the damage with love and consideration.

I love the way it shows how we could show our children (and ourselves) a different outlook to life, away from smartphones and TV….just being outside in nature with quiet thoughts and the beauty that surrounds us, if only you take the time to look. Stunning and perfect for any age.

Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the book and this is my honest, unbiased review

[Book-Social · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our children’s Book of the Month for February was Toletis by Spanish author Rafa Ruiz. Our thanks go to Neem Tree Press for providing the book club with copies of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I think most people’s reaction when I handed out the book was “I thought that said Toilet”. No It doesn’t, but the book does explain how the name Toletis came about very early on. The blurb refers to Toletis and his friends fight to help save the trees in their town. Yet this is only one of the stories that Ruiz tells. Each chapter reads almost like a short story, contained yet linked to a overarching narrative taking us through the seasons in a magical, thoughtful way. Ruiz is committed to culture, art and the environment and this shines through in the book (which is translated by Ben Dawlatly). I will say at times some of the words were perhaps too advanced for my reading crew: ‘verdant’ ‘sentient’ which was echoed by a year 3 teacher who commented she thought the book more suited to 10 year olds than 7. Everyone finished the book however and I read it in an afternoon.

As activities alongside the book we had a go at making our own language. Which is harder than it looks! We imagined how each animal language would sound and had a go at talking to any pets we had at home. We also had to eat an apple or two (but avoided leaves) to enable us to plant some apple trees. Although to date no teenie-weenies have arrived.

Toletis is a very beautiful book and everyone loved the art work (illustrated by Elena Hormiga). Ruiz co-directs an art gallery in Madrid, there is an illusive artist in one of the chapters in the book and the writing is very visual, full of colour,

I found it very easy to read and liked the magical almost fable feel to the book. The children enjoyed picking their favourite chapters and arguing why there chosen one was the best. It’s certainly different to anything else they had read previously. It’s imaginative, it’s different, it’s also strangely comforting and calming.

We awarded it 3 out of 5 toilets (we couldn’t resist!)

[Reema · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toletis is the friend I wish I had growing up. Caring, compassionate and insightful, he has greater wisdom and understanding of nuance than most adults. The book displays his journey throughout the year from growing trees to gathering mist to rainy days and overall spreading his joy and brilliantness. The story cleverly shows how perceptive young ones are and how subtle changes in weather, environment, family and friendship dynamics have significant effects on their mood and thought processes day to day. While an overall light-hearted book aimed for children, it also covers a variety of themes that represent real life such as grief and loss, estrangement from family and loneliness. As an adult reading this, it was lovely to remember how it feels to have a fresh perspective, to think about which family members I gravitate towards more the way Toletis does, to dream and see the magic in simple things. I cannot wait to read this with my children.

[Kelly Lardin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Toletis with my 9 year old and while we both enjoyed it, I enjoyed it a little more. Toletis and his friends easily slip across the line from reality to imagination and back again in their many adventures through the seasons. The three friends are ultra aware of their environment and do all they can to protect it from people and nature itself. Having read the story across several cold winter days one of our favorite parts was when Toletis and his friends gathered their old cloths to protect the town (plants, animals, and statues) from the coming snow. The language in the story is fun and sometimes even lyrical and will surely expand your child’s vocabulary. We paused at several points to discuss a new word or a fun sentence!

[Robert Godel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toletis is a delight for readers of all ages! The various vignettes of Toletis' life read like fables pulled from his imagination, each fable leading us to another amazing insight!
The stories can be read at varied levels. As an adult I can marvel at the description of Toletis' mother's kitchen while a child being read the story will be enriched by the vocabulary Rafa Ruiz uses to paint the descriptions.
Ben Dawlatly's translation does an excellent job of keeping the character and tone of the stories.

As a teacher-librarian I would recommend this book for adults, teens and as a read-aloud for all.

[Keith Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book! It's great. I was given this Toletis by a friend and initially was doubtful: it did not look like my sort of thing at all, and honestly, can it really claim to be for ages 7 - 107? Once I got started though, I was enchanted by the stories and the characters that gently emerge. I could well imagine reading it to a child of 7 as well as to my 86-year-old mother. There is much gentle humour in there, ("They'd also given Amenophis a scarf and a sort of canine body-warmer; a long and daunting afternoon was looming") and a magical sideways view of some eternal issues. It's great! Read it!

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story of a little boy and his friends and family exploring his world and wanting to protect nature. I would guess 4th -6th grade although younger children may enjoy hearing the story read to them. It's a pleasant and quick read. Might be one worthy of the summer actually! translated from French.

[Meggan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me of the blurred lines that children have between what is real and imagined. I'm not sure how children will feel about it, but as an adult, I really enjoyed it.

[Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a joy to behold and to read with my son, and definitely one we'll come back to. It's a chapter book of funny and quirky stories about a young boy Toletis and his friends exploring the natural world around them, and defending their village from creeping urbanisation and deforestation. There's a touch of Pippi Longstocking crossed with a Spanish sense of magic realism. Delicious playful language to delight Roald Dahl fans and gorgeous colour illustrations throughout. It's one you need to have in your hands to appreciate!

[Bibi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book with stories about Toletis, a young boy. The way he and his family and friends experience and view the different seasons. It has a magical feel to it, and I would’ve given it a 3 but the illustrations were amazing so I had to round up to a 4.

*I was given an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whimsical book of a young boy and his friend and family as they go through the seasons of the year. Good for read-aloud. Lovely illustrations. Probably best for upper primary. Reminiscent of "Imaginary friend" or "Quinny and Hopper"
Review refers to the English translation