The Day the Stories Disappeared

One day the stories disappeared from the village. They realized this because the books were blank, because grandmothers fell silent when they tried to tell stories to their grandchildren, because some people forgot their memories. They searched high and low, but to no avail. Then despair set in, because a village can lack work, sunny days, songs on the radio, but never stories.

They heard that a giant had taken all the stories. Although everyone wanted to get them back, only the oldest grandmother and a girl with red hair dared to try. They had to cross forests, face animals they had never seen before and walk day and night to find the one responsible for the disappearance of the stories. They soon discovered that the giant was not so mean and that he just wanted to know what it felt like to have a story, because no one had ever told him one.

A story of empathy, courage, adventure and perseverance to understand that stories do not have an owner, but that they belong to everyone.

Key points

• A work that underlines the great significance that stories have for communities, culture and individuals.
• Through its two female protagonists of different ages, it tackles the gender and age stereotypes usually associated with male characters.
• It reminds us how important it is to do things for others and that everything we do can have meaningful results.
• It reclaims the somewhat forgotten practice of telling children a bedtime story.