Abrapalabra: Juan Kruz Igerabide

From 10 to 15, Casa Encendida in Madrid will host a special event inviting children, families, and literature enthusiasts to dive into a world of words, illustration, and creativity.

Organised by Fundación Montemadrid and La Fábrica, over days, ABRAPALABRA will present a wide range of activities, including creative workshops, author meet-and-greets, performances, storytelling, and exhibitions, inviting both children and adults to discover the power of literature as a sanctuary and a place for connection.

Thanks to collaboration with the Etxepare Basque Institute, the festival will include the participation of Basque author, Juan Kruz Igerabide.

On 13 December, Juan Kruz Igerabide (National Prize for Children´s and Young Adult Literature 2018) will meet at the José Hierro Library (C/ Rafaela Ybarra, 43) with 6th graders (aged 11-12) from the Ponce de León School (C/ Eduardo Barreiros, 6) and with the Zofío Senior Citizens´ Centre reading club to read “Cuentos de lamias” (Cenlit).

The meeting will take place as part of ‘Un autor en la maleta’ (An author in the suitcase’), a programme which seeks to create an intergenerational connection using a book as a bridge. The is to revive the dialogue that was once fostered through the stories of elders in family settings, which has now faded in our small urban apartments.

This programme began in October and culminates in the ABRAPALABRA festival. The children from the chosen schools were given a suitcase with age-appropriate books by the chosen author. The suitcase contained a photo of the author explaining who he or she was as a child, and a letter creating a more personal link with the readers.

The same book was given to the reading club of a senior citizens´ centre in the same neighbourhood as the selected school.

During ABRAPALABRA week, young and old will meet the author at the neighbourhood library.