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One day, a ship arrived in Martin’s town. It was full of people from all around the world.
When Martin heard the news, he ran to the port to snoop around.
There on the dock was Upendus. He was a kid about Martin’s size, but his skin was dark.
Upendus gazed at Martin. His smile was so beautiful that stars filled his mouth.
Martin had never seen a boy with dark skin before, so he thought Upendus was made of chocolate. To check it, he decided to give Upendus a small bite.
The bite was so hurtful that Upendus quickly put his arm away.
While rubbing his arm, Upendus thought that Martin was so white that he looked like Meringue.
And since Martin had already “tasted� Upendus, he thought it was right to give Martin a bite too.
As expected, the bite hurt exactly the same when Upendus bit Martin.
So both children, while rubbing their arms, realized that they were pretty much alike.
Because they tasted the same, neither meringue nor chocolate. And both bites hurt!
Martin and Upendus smiled at each other. In that moment, stars filled their mouths.
Ricardo Cie Social Communicator, writer, illustrator and creative advertiser. He has written and drawn for various publications in Venezuela, Mexico and Guatemala. The works Chamoch, Chocolate and merengue and Story of a tree were published under the Amanuense imprint.
Enrique Martínez He began illustrating children’s books so long ago, he no longer remembers what motivated him to choose this profession. Among his long list of awards for illustration, Enrique received the First Prize in the 2nd Illustrated Book Contest “A la Orilla del Viento”, Fondo de Cultura Económica, Mexico (1997), Grand Prize, NOMA Contest, Japan (1990); Bronze Medal, Beautiful Children’s Book Contest, Leipzig (1989) and First Prize, National the Art of Books Competition, Ministry of Culture, Havana, Cuba (1988).
This is a story filled with goodies. The delightful experience of making friends, having a taste of the new and discovering how much we like it stand out among its ingredients. Beautifully told and illustrated, the story highlights values such as cultural diversity, tolerance and friendship. The original text won first place in the 2nd National Book Award (CENAL, Venezuela).