Clara and the Man With Books in his Window

This is the story of my mother and her friend Juan, of how she discovered books and he the light of day.

So begins Clara and the Man With Books in His Window. In this beautifully illustrated book, set in rural 1920s Argentina, Hans Christian Andersen Award–winning author María Teresa Andruetto shares the true story of how her mother, Clara, the daughter of a poor laundress, meets Juan, a wealthy and bookish recluse who never leaves his house because he is afraid society will not accept who he really is.

A powerful tale about friendship and about the world available to us when we open a book, but also when we have the courage to be our true selves, Clara and the Man With Books in His Window was selected by the ALIJA and the Fundación Cuatro Gatos as the best book of the year. Now available for the first time in English, it is destined to transfix readers young and old.

María Teresa Andruetto is a Hans Christian Andersen winner and one of the most important figures in Latin American children’s literature. She co-founded CEDILIJ, where she worked for a decade as part of the teaching and executive team. She is married and has two daughters. She currently lives in the mountains of Córdoba surrounded by nature.

Martina Trach is an Argentine illustrator, muralist, and compulsive maker of drawings. She has illustrated a number of books, some of them non-fiction. One of her books, Puberty in Motion, was selected for the White Ravens—a list of the world’s best books organised by the International Youth Library.