Ten one
TEARS and EMBRACE
Marta Sanmamed
Mar Azabal
To Paloma, a magic hug. —Marta Sanmamed To my little Bruno, who has given me the most beautiful silky tears. —Mar Azabal
Ten Tears and one Embrace Text © 2016 Marta Sanmamed Illustrations © 2016 Mar Azabal This edition © 2016 Cuento de Luz SL Calle Claveles, 10 | Urb. Monteclaro | Pozuelo de Alarcón | 28223 | Madrid | Spain www.cuentodeluz.com Title in Spanish: Diéz lágrimas y un abrazo English translation by Jon Brokenbrow ISBN: 978-84-16147--90-8 Printed by Shanghai Chenxi Printing Co., Ltd. July 2016, print number xxx All rights reserved
Ten one
TEARS and EMBRACE
Marta Sanmamed Mar Azabal
My name is Peter, and I have a secret. I know that the tears we cry contain magic. I can hardly believe that some people dry them with a tissue. What a waste!
I have been collecting tears for a long time. I keep them in special bottles. They can be used for a thousand different things!
My friends Amy and Karen helped me to discover the magic of tears. We set up a laboratory in Amy’s grandma’s garage to study how tears work. We discovered that there are different kinds of tears, caused by different types of feelings. But our biggest discovery was that we could use the teardrops we gathered to solve lots of problems.
I bet you think that you only cry when you’re sad, but you’ll see that’s not always the case.
So far we’ve found ten different types of tears, and once we’ve set up our new microscope, I’m sure we’re going to find lots more!
Author’s Note A lachrymatory, or tear bottle (from the Latin word for tears, lacrima), is a small vessel made of terracotta or glass, in which the Greeks and Romans kept their tears. These curious vessels were the inspiration for this story. Together with my enthusiastic nine-year-old daughter, we wanted to share this tale about the power of tears, the different emotions they reveal, and their infinite uses. We discovered that crocodile tears are perfect for overcoming shyness, chilly tears make everything look shiny and new, and that sparkly tears are the best cure for tiredness. Are you ready to dive into this sea of emotions with us?
Peter and his friends want to share their great discovery with you. We don’t only cry when we’re sad! This enthusiastic team of young scientists sets up a laboratory in a garage to study tears, and all the different things they can be used for. They are about to become explorers, in a sea of emotions . . .