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Elsewhere Editions

Mafalda

Mafalda

by Quino, translated from the Spanish by Frank Wynne, illustrated by Quino

$18.00
$18.00
Ages 8–12 Available as E-Book Children's Literature Comics & Graphic Novels Latin American Literature Spanish Literature
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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.

Additional Book Information

Series: Elsewhere Editions
ISBN: 9781962770040
Pages: 120
Publication Date:

Praise

When wider American audiences do meet Mafalda, they’ll find a girl who resembles Ernie Bushmiller’s iconic character Nancy, but whose antics are entirely her own. Mafalda reaches for outer space on a seltzer-fueled jetpack, and is open to all kinds of experience. Even if she’s unlikely to help Democrats and Republicans get along, her brand of innocent but opinionated curiosity could show the so-called adults in the room how to do better by future generations.
—Benjamin P. Russell, The New York Times

The cartoon character Mafalda, with her massive round head, sixties bob, triangular dress, and black Mary Janes, appears innocent. But this inquisitive girl-against-the-world is no ingenue—Mafalda often fires off sharp, incisive, and cynical observations about the political world around her . . . When I was growing up in Argentina in the early aughts, in the middle of yet another political crisis, Mafalda taught me how to think politically, even when I was too young for it. Children enjoy this—they appreciate it when you don’t underestimate their intelligence, and rise to the occasion as a result . . . In many ways, the intergenerational battle that Mafalda represents still rings true, and is bound to educate nonconformist children in conformist times.
—Julia Kornberg, The Paris Review

Although the concept of universalism has been sneered at for the past 40 years, evidence of its existence can be found in the pages of Mafalda.
—Tom Bowden, Book Beat

Mafalda is huge. Think Peanuts but imbued with late 60s/early 70s Argentinian politics. Still, it seemed so odd that I’d never encountered her before. If she truly was so influential, where were the translations? . . . I had a chance to read the new Mafalda [in Frank Wynne's translation] and to my infinite relief it was everything that I’d hoped for and more.
—Betsy Bird, School Library Journal's Fuse 8 Blog

Mafalda's blend of visual and verbal wit is sublime.
—Peter Dabbene, Foreword Reviews

Mafalda’s innocent questions still sting.
—Dorian Lynskey, Airmail

Mafalda is feisty and fearless in her criticism of the Vietnam War, global politicians, her parents (her poor, poor parents), her friend Susanita’s lack of feminist ambitions, and humanity’s inability to make any kind of progress . . . a must-read for comics aficionados of any age.
—Words Without Borders

"Absolutely delightful . . . the real star of the show here is Mafalda’s sensibility.
—Zack Quaintance, Comics Beat

Unfortunately, the timing is great for American readers. Mafalda’s character-defining question to her father — 'Can you explain why humanity is a disaster?' — is one I ask myself every day as I read the news. If Quino, who died in 2020, were still alive and drawing Mafalda, it seems fair to say Mafalda would be incensed.
––Lily Meyer, The Dial

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