You better, mastodon!
Micaela Chirif
Illustrations by Issa Watanabe
Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2014
ISBN: 9786071624420
♦ Premio A la orilla del viento 2013
♦ The World through Pictures Books 2023. Librarian’s favorite books from their country
The protagonist of this story has a rather unusual pet: a mastodon. Like all mastodons, his is enormous, fierce, and very rebellious. Every time he asks something of it, the mastodon replies, “No!” But when his owner shouts at the top of his lungs, “You better watch out, Mastodon!” things take a turn for the worse… After all, there’s nothing harder in the world than taming a mastodon—though it does come with its rewards.
Reviews
“You better, Mastodon… It’s a well-rounded picture book with a plastic, literary, and graphic discourse that offers the reader a complete narrative.”
Rebeca Cerda
“It’s an integral picture book where the images interact seamlessly with the text. It stands out for its literary and graphic economy; yet, it remains ambitious in both aspects. It takes risks that are not often seen in other projects.” — Bernardo Fernández
“You Better, Mastodon! is a book that creates empathy with the reader. It fosters a space for complicity and rebellion.”
Ana Juan
“This is a picture book open to multiple readings and interpretations. Is it a metaphor for resistance? Could the mastodon symbolize disobedience? What role do the characters play here?… We might see the child assuming the role of an adult, attempting to ‘educate’ (or tame) the rebellious mastodon, trying to shape its character.” — Literatil
“There are books that, at first glance, you just know have something big hidden inside. In this case, the invitation was obvious—when a 40×25 cm picture book stands before you, whatever is inside must be enormous. And it doesn’t disappoint; it hides, nothing more and nothing less, a mastodon.”
Fran Pintadera
The inner mastodon
https://redaccion.lamula.pe/2014/07/18/mas-te-vale/andreshare/
You better, mastodon!
http://www.perezrobleda.com/index.php/blogs/la-casa-en-la-colina-resenas-de-literatura-infantil/188-mas-te-vale-mastodonte