Mafalda: Book One

Introducing the South American comic sensation starring a hilarious 6-year-old whose spunky self-confidence will inspire budding activists and curious middle grade readers along with adult fans.

Mafalda may be small--but her hopes for the world are as big as her heart!

Six-year-old Mafalda loves democracy and hates soup. What democratic sector do cats fall into? she asks, then unfurls a toilet paper red carpet and gives her very own presidential address. Mafalda’s precociousness and passion stump all grown-ups around her. Dissident and rebellious, she refuses to abandon the world to her parents’ generation, who seem so lost. Alongside the irascible Mafalda, readers will meet her eclectic group of playmates: dreamy Felipe and gossipy Susanita, young-capitalist Manolito and rebellious Miguelito. Quino’s bright irony and intelligence bring the streets and neighborhoods of Buenos Aires to life.

You can clearly see Mafalda is small, but her hopes for the world and her heart are huge and as sincere as can be. Generations of readers have discovered themselves in Mafalda, and learned to question, rebel, and hope.

Since Quino first drew her in the early 1960s, Mafalda has captured public imagination in Latin America and beyond. Her wit and empathy have made her an enduring favorite.

Quino (Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón) was an Argentine cartoonist whose beloved Mafalda comic strips were first published in 1964 and ran until 1973. Quino created Mafalda and the stories of his rebellious character have been translated into twenty-six languages and published in newspapers and magazines worldwide. Quino’s awards include the Cartoonist of the Year Award (1982), two Konex Platinum Awards for Visual Arts-Graphic Humour (1982 and 1992), the Quevedos Latin American Prize for Graphic Humor (2000), and the Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities (2014).

Frank Wynne is literary translator from the French and Spanish whose authors include Despentes, Modiano, González, Allende, and Houellebecq. He worked as a bookseller in Paris in the 80s, and also translated and published comics.