Alvaro Fernandez Villa lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina and has a degree in fine art. He became interested in art as a very young child, and has developed skills in both digital and traditional art forms.
...beautiful and moving, and ultimately uplifting…
*Shelf-Employed blog*
Flood is a wonderful new resource. It is a wordless picture
book beautifully depicting the progression from calm to storm to
flood to rebuilding of a family’s home. . . .The most important
part is that they are together in the picture after the storm and
that they are able to rebuild. The final picture shows their
home rebuilt and happy again. It is a lovely book and will
speak volumes to young children.
*The Suburban Barnyard blog*
A wordless book that manages to express the entire gamut of
emotions of being flooded. . . .The illustrations are
beautiful.
*NetGalley Review*
I put in a request to purchase this book at the library. I recently
shared CHALK with my preschoolers and they loved figuring out the
story themselves. This would be another one they would like.
*NetGalley Review*
Outstanding picture book.
*Jessy's Bookends blog*
I've never seen a book like this. It's exceptional. The children
who have recently experienced Hurricane Sandy came immediately to
my mind. The pictures unfold so beautifully telling a story of a
family who is trying to save their house from a flood. Their home
is destroyed but it's the rebuilding that will help children
understand when an awful tragedy happens - life can go on and you
can be happy again. What makes Flood so powerful is it is wordless.
This is a really smart and non-threatening approach to help
children open up about their feelings and fears after a traumatic
event. Most importantly it delivers the message that starting over
is possible and can be positive. If you are working with children
who have been impacted by hurricanes, floods, or any type of house
tragedy (fire) please get this book. It's a very therapeutic and
healing resource.
*Books That Heal Kids blog*
“Flood” is perfect for children facing adversity. It is convenient
for opening up dialogue with your children because the lack of
words leaves much up to the parent or reader. Interpretation and
lesson are mainly in your hands. . . .a highly beneficial and
healing resource.
*Darian G. Burns blog*
I think this is a wonderful book that's useful in allowing children
to learn and explore the emotions surrounding a catastrophic event
like a hurricane or flood. I recommend it for that reason.
*Roundtable Reviews*
This gripping story of loss and regeneration is told wordlessly
through large, beautifully painted illustrations. The opening
spread depicts an idyllic scene: blue sky, lush grass, and brother
and sister playing outside their charming clapboard home at the
edge of the water. But the next spread reveals gathering clouds in
a red sky and an anxious parent looking over his shoulder as he
installs storm windows. As the spreads progress, the clouds become
black and roiling, rain pours down, and not even the sandbags they
stack around the house assure the family’s safety. They pack a few
possessions into the car, and after regretful backward glances,
drive to a hotel. Ensuing pages reveal the storm’s fury as the sky
blackens and waves crash inside the house, destroying furnishings
and roaring threateningly toward the stairs. A bird perched on a
broken branch stands out as a lone survivor. When the family
returns, their grief is evident, but they move on to rebuild. Once
again the scene is idyllic: contented parents look on as their
children play outside the newly renovated home surrounded by
freshly planted flowers and trees. This powerful story provides
ample opportunities for youngsters to elaborate on the family’s
emotions as they experience the destruction of their home and ways
in which they were able to cope with this loss. Matt Doeden’s
Floods (Pebble Plus, 2010) is a nonfiction explanation of floods
and how they occur.
*School Library Journal*
“Flood” has no words, but doesn’t really need them (which is a hard
thing for a writer to admit). . . .The images by Argentinian artist
Villa, are absolutely pregnant with meaning, nuanced and
riveting.
*The Denver Post, Pages blog*
A final book for young children does not contain any words, and
this seems right, because the shocking image to which "Flood"
(Capstone, 32 pages, $15.95) builds, and from which it recedes,
will leave the reader speechless. In a series of strongly colored
paintings, Argentine illustrator Alvaro F. Villa shows a young
family in a pretty clapboard house not far from an estuary. Bad
weather is brewing: Great clouds boil toward the house as, inside,
the family watches a TV weatherman warning of trouble ahead.
Friends come with sandbags to encircle the house, but the rain gets
too heavy, and the family has to leave. Though the final pages will
lift the heart with scenes of renewal, the central image of
floodwaters roaring into the family's living room, knocking
pictures off the wall and foaming hungrily at the stairs, leaves an
impression that no child will quickly forget.
*The Wall Street Journal*
The gorgeous painted illustrations vividly tell the tale in this
wordless picture book of a family's devastating loss of their home
and the rebuilding process.
*NetGalley Review*
Children learn that although scary storms and natural disasters may
arrive, this is a time for their family to seek safety and comfort
in each other. When they pull together, they can get through what
happens and then rebuild their lives. Reading along with a
grown-up, kids can talk about their fears and what it means to be a
family. Flood is a beautiful book that you won’t soon forget.
*Susan Heim on Parenting blog*
Absolutely a must purchase. . . .The teacher in me would use this
book to teach empathy and cause and effect. I would also use this
as a tool to foster discussion around books.
*NetGalley Review*
There are ample opportunities for dialog and conversation with
young children given only a few simple questions from a parent or
caregiver. Because of the intense feelings this book might
engender, this is probably better for a slightly older child--ages
5-8 or so, but I think it could be very helpful to even younger
children who’ve experienced something like this, whether from fire,
flood or other significant loss. The topic is handled very
sensitively in the images and despite the traumatic events, there
is a strong message of hope and recovery.
*Chicago Now, Oh My Books blog*
The impact of a natural disaster on a family unfolds in wordless,
digitally created spreads in this first book from Argentinean
illustrator Villa. In a small house near an inland body of water, a
mother and her two children enjoy leisure time in the living room;
outside, however, the family's father glances skyward with concern.
Dark clouds barrel toward the house on the following page,
swallowing up the eerily yellow sky. With rosy cheeks and red
noses, the family constructs a stone barrier around the house,
secures the windows, and departs for a hotel. In ghostly sequences,
the floodwaters invade the empty structure, tossing furniture and
wrecking the lower levels. Upon the family's return, a moment of
despair transitions quickly into productivity as they repair the
damage. . . .the book is a useful resource for adults to use with
children, especially given the damaging hurricanes in recent
years.
*Publishers Weekly*
A beautifully illustrated wordless book. . . .I recommend this book
for anyone's library, public or private.
*NetGalley Review*
Flood is a great picture book illustrating the destructive nature
of floods. This story would fit right in with the SC fifth grade
science standards, and I'm already envisioning the many ways I
could use it in my classroom. I appreciate that this story
does not have words, because the illustrations are so powerful that
they speak for themselves. Great book!
*NetGalley Review*
...a wonderfully expressive story of a family that sticks together
through thick and thin.
*Provo Library Children's Book Review*
I really enjoyed this book and think that it will be a help to kids
who are going through storm damage or who have witnessed it on the
news. While the damage is scary the story ultimately has a
happy ending.
*Books Your Kids Will Love blog*
"Flood" is a dramatic, wordless recounting of a natural disaster
chasing a family from their home. The miracle here is not only the
safety that the family members enjoy but also the eventual recovery
of their home.
*The Christian Science Monitor, "7 great new illustrated children's
books"*
This timely wordless picture book speaks volumes about coming of a
storm and the resulting flood. . . .There is hope as the waters
recede and although adults will shake their heads at the seemingly
“easy” cleanup and restoration, children will find comfort in the
sunny end.
*EarlyWord Kids blog*
I enjoyed this wordless book and could relate to floodings that
have happened in our area. This was a heart-warming story about how
the family worked together to restore their home. I liked the
details in the endpapers and could see this as a brainstorming
activity when sharing this during storytime. I would add this book
to our collection.
*NetGalley Review*
Flood is one of the most powerful books I have seen in a very long
time. The book has beautiful illustrations that alone convey the
story of the fierceness of nature and the resilience of man. Flood
allows children to tell the story as they turn each page, revealing
exquisite art on each spread. Never have illustrations delivered so
much. Kids will see a complete drama from happy beginning, to
tragic lose, rebuilding, and finally the restoration of home and
hope.
*Kid Lit Reviews blog*
Outstanding Picture book. . . .Colors are beautiful and embody
emotions. Images are drawn carefully and in detail. My favorite
element of this book is the images during the hurricane. They show
such a fury and intensity, that immediately I felt empathy toward
the family depicted in the storybook. This book doesn't need words.
Words would be useless in this book, for what the author wants to
say is clearly shown to us by his art. Recommended for children all
ages.
*Jessy's Bookends blog*
Flood is a unique and beautiful picture book by Argentinean
illustrator, Alvaro F. Villa. The front and back cover of this book
looks like a painting. The art is simply gorgeous and truly gives
meaning to the phrase, a picture is worth a thousand words.
*The Children's Nook blog*
Kids who have never experienced a flood will get a good idea of the
devastation suffered by an ordinary family whose home sweet
home—full of memories, pictures, and personal touches—is destroyed
by water.
*Redeemed Reader blog*
The artwork is superb. What surprised me is how well the story
could be told by the artist from page to page. The comfort of home.
The uneasiness of an impending storm. The fear associated with
fleeing a natural disaster. The sorrow of loss. The renewal of
hope. . . .I can't wait to sit down and have my little girl tell me
the story that is found in the pages of this well done children's
book. If you have kids and like to encourage critical thinking this
is a good book.
*NetGalley Review*
...a unique and beautiful book...the images captured both the
beauty and the heartbreak that comes with flooding in a storm.
*Live With Passion blog*
The drawings are beautiful. . . .The landscape, in particular, was
rendered quite well and looked like paintings you would see in a
gallery. . . .The story itself was pretty compelling.
*Second Bookshelf on the Right blog*
Villa’s wordless picture book is a haunting look at a family whose
home might be wiped out by a storm. Anyone who has lived through a
hurricane will catch their breath at Villa’s unnerving watercolors,
generously laid out across long, horizontal spreads. Familiar,
nervous moments are found on every page: Dad preparing the windows
while the kids, oblivious, play on the floor. The ominous glow of a
weatherman delivering his warning soliloquies. Rain-battered
volunteers surrounding the house with sandbags. And, of course, the
worried family deciding to drive away, waving farewell to their
brave, lonely house. The inability to know what nature has in store
is quietly gut-wrenching—until a devastating spread depicts the
interior of the house as storming with water, furniture being
tossed like sticks. Villa’s sole, but significant, misstep is the
too-quick turnaround: a single spread of house repair leads to the
family enjoying a perfectly restored home. A worthwhile reminder
that things are darkest before dawn, though not quite up to the
visceral truths that make the rest of the book so moving.
*Booklist Online*
Hope, realization, sadness, and finally hope again all shine
through the wordless book. My Goddess and I have read this book a
few times which is odd to say since there are zero words in the
book. The story is completely narrated by the reader which I find
quite unique. Leaving openness for those reading to create their
own dialogue fitting to their situation.
*Maria's Spce blg*
This beautiful wordless book sets a scene all too familiar in Cedar
Rapids. The images begin with an idilyic setting of a family
enjoying life in their home. As a storm approaches, the family must
protect their home as best as they can and evacuate. They return to
the devastation of the storm. The book comes full circle when the
house is rebuilt and enjoyed again.
*The BookHouse bookstore, Marion, IA*
...no words found or needed on any of the strikingly–beautiful 32
pages. This visual storytelling is successful due to the
emotionality of Villa’s artistry and the pulsing nature of the
subject matter.
*The Children’s Bookshelf, Central Michigan University, Public
Broadcasting Cente*
This 32-page hardcover tells the gripping stories of families who
face the devastation of natural disasters. Told without words,
using only the intense and beautiful illustrations of the author, a
family braces for the worst when rains and flooding threaten their
happy home.
*Northwest Indiana Times, Your Family*
This beautifully illustrated book is very powerful, even without
words. 5/5 stars.
*NetGalley Review*
A wordless narrative of epic proportions follows a family’s
survival as rising tides threaten and then consume their home.
Stunning, full-bleed illustrations convey all we need to know about
their ordeal: that they make it through the terrifying episode
together.
*ForeWord Reviews*
Wordless books play to a child's inclination to linger over visual
detail, and this exceptionally well-done story rewards that
attention. . . .Argentinean artist Villa captures the drama in
digital paintings -- vivid, almost garish -- that tell of eerie
storm skies, whooshing floodwaters and parents lying awake in the
television's glow. Big weather provokes anxiety, but "Flood"
reminds readers that eventually the sun returns. Grade: A.
*The Cleveland Plain Dealer*
Argentinean artist Alvaro Villa brings the impending storm and
floodwaters to life in these bold painted illustrations.
*Reading Today Online*
I thought that this book was very happy when they rebuilt their
house. I am glad that they were still happy that they were still a
family even though there was a flood. . . .[the] pictures were very
nice.
*San Francisco Book Review, Kids Book Review*
Though wordless, this book tells a powerful story of family,
floods, loss and rebuilding. . . .will work well with a range of
ages. It is a timely read as well as weather systems grow more
powerful and more families are facing natural disasters.
*Walking Brain Cells blog*
Simple as its title. No words here – no need. . . .this story
wrings a surprising dose of understated optimism from familiar
recent events. Doomsday preppers: you can go home again.
*New York Parents Magazine*
Simple as its title. No words here – no need. . . .this story
wrings a surprising dose of understated optimism from familiar
recent events. Doomsday preppers: you can go home again.
*New York Family Magazine*
Flood is a completely visual experience for readers. It doesn't
need words; its impact is that powerful. . . .I personally feel
this is a very wise book to share with young children, especially
ones old enough to understand the impact that Sandy had on the East
Coast of the United States. The storm coverage for Sandy was
intense and emotional, so consider taking the time to explain to
little ones that there is always the potential for something
positive to come out of something so negative.
*Enchanting Children's Book Reviews blog*
This book tells you that no matter what happens to your house, the
true home resides in the heart, where family is. If you have your
family, you have lost nothing.
*NetGalley Review*
I've never seen a book like this. It's exceptional. The children
who have recently experienced Hurricane Sandy came immediately to
my mind. The pictures unfold so beautifully telling a story of a
family who is trying to save their house from a flood. Their home
is destroyed but it's the rebuilding that will help children
understand when an awful tragedy happens - life can go on and you
can be happy again. What makes Flood so powerful is it is wordless.
This is a really smart and non-threatening approach to help
children open up about their feelings and fears after a traumatic
event. Most importantly it delivers the message that starting over
is possible and can be positive. If you are working with children
who have been impacted by hurricanes, floods, or any type of house
tragedy (fire) please get this book. It's a very therapeutic and
healing resource.
*Books That Heal Kids blog*
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