To Luca, Cadú, and Teo, My eccentric loves.
Biographies of eccentric animals
Mari
Pérez Pantoja
DEAR READER:
I bet every time you need to study about some kind of animal, you make use of encyclopedias… Am I wrong?
Well, let me tell you that encyclopedias – as splendid and complete as they may seem – don’t tell the whole truth about us, animals. This situation enrages me ,and – as I cannot remain idle in the presence of injustice – I have dedicated myself to leaving a record of the wonderful and peculiar existence of some animals I have been lucky to encounter. The book you have in your hands is the product of this important mission.
I hope you can appreciate it as much as I do.
Kind regards, the author.
DOLORES
Dolores is very sensitive. Sad or happy, tears stream from her eyes with astonishing ease. Some things that make her cry are: the smell of wet dirt after the rain, withered flowers, birds chirping, melted ice cream, the first sprouts of spring, deflated balloons, and reheated food. On the other hand, Dolores possesses excellent business sense. That is how one plus one amounts to two; for the day she discovered her tears make hair grow, she decided to market them as the most powerful shampoo in the world! Since then, she has become a successful businesswoman.
ELVIS
This anteater adores autumn more than anything in the world because the leaves of trees dry, fall to the ground, and when stepping on them they sound crunch, crunch, crunch.
Elvis is rather timid and of few friends. His closest one is a snail with whom he shares the cropping of the garden that is in his house’s backyard. And it is because Elvis became a vegetarian the day he saw a movie on television where a million ants invaded the Earth, eliminating anyone who would get in their way. From that point on, he decided that, just in case, it was better to have them as allies rather than enemies.
JEAN PIERRE
His real name is Juan Pedro, but everybody knows him as Jean Pierre. Even though in this cat’s family tree there is no indication of French relatives, he adores eating fresh baguettes in the morning and people wearing berets.
Jean Pierre’s big dream is to go to Paris. This is why every time he blows out birthday candles and must make a wish, he thinks very hard about the Eiffel tower and those elegant carrousels with horses that go up and down. While waiting for his dream to come true, he takes French classes by mail.
AURELIA
When she was little, Aurelia was adopted by a family of Mafia raccoons that introduced her to the contraband of chicken eggs. For many years Aurelia was the crucial part of the family “business” because she was in charge of infiltrating the henhouses, posing as one of them. Once becoming of legal age, Aurelia decided to leave behind her life outside the law to become a respected philosopher.
This turn in her life occurred mainly because of her obsession with questions without answers and her liking for contemplative life.
GUILLERMINA the 3rd
Guillermina the 3rd belongs to an important family of moles who have a great ability to excavate underground tunnels. She is the only one of her generation who has persisted in her ancestors’ dream: build the longest tunnel in the world that would allow this noble family to go down in history. Even though Guillermina the 3rd feels happy to continue with this great project, her real intention is to finish the construction of the tunnels to go through the planet and arrive in Japan because her true dream is to try sushi and learn the art of origami.
VIRGILIO
Virgilio characterizes himself for two things: the scarf he uses every time of the year and his great patience because even though he gets confused with a rack, he always smiles. He got the scarf after a girl forgot about it on his antlers alongside an umbrella filled with dots. Coincidence or not, currently, Virgilio works in the Office of Lost Objects. But this deer’s life is not just about confusion. Virgilio loves to listen to music and take pictures. His next project is to do an exhibit with photographs of the objects people forget in his head.
TAKE NOTE: NOTE:
Eccentric animals are everywhere; it is just a matter of paying a little attention to be able to discover them. Would you help me look? Grab a pen and paper, and investigate your pet (or your neighbors’), some bird in the park, or a bug from the garden. Closely observe what they like, what they do throughout the day, and what is their favorite food. Once you have enough information, you can ask for help to write their biography. Lastly, draw them or take a picture.
INVESTIGATION NOTEBOOK It belongs to:
NAME:
It really likes to eat: It spends the day doing the following:
It likes to play:
It characterizes for:
Curious or fun anecdote:
Biographies of eccentric animals
© Mari Pérez Pantoja
© Escrito con tiza, 2021
¡BaPUM! Collection
ISBN: 978-956-6049-22-7
www.escritocontiza.cl
contacto@escritocontiza.cl
Santiago de Chile
Editing of Carla Morales Ebner
Design: Francisca Choy
Printed in China
The total or partial reproduction of this book is forbidden without the permission of Escrito con Tiza.
This eccentric book finished taking shape in the finished in the year of the metal rat, almost a decade rat, almost a decade after the first texts that gave it life after the first texts that gave it life appeared.
Illustrations were completed with paper shavings, printings with Illustrations were ink, and coloring pencils for the details. ink, and coloring pencils for the details.
A rabbit who is an apprentice of magic, a philosopher chicken, an environmental wolf, and an entrepreneur crocodile are some of the eccentric animals you will be able to discover if you read this eccentric book. Do not wait any longer and discover all those who are a part of this particular encyclopedia of animals.
¡BaPUM! Collection
