Mosquito

A mosquito offers to help an old man to discover the tastiest piece of meat, and free him from a terrible snake that wants to eat him. In compensation the old man provides the insect with iron dentures so that no victim can resist, and the smart insect will take advantage to let itself be taken up by its voracity…

In a humorous way, with this traditional Chinese tale of etiological character, we will discover that the mosquito has a war cry: its buzzing, and also the reason why snakes like mice so much.

In addition, the reader will enjoy the adventures of characters that teach us how justice and solidarity triumph over size and strength. The story approaches the traditional culture of a people that over the centuries has kept alive its wisdom in the oral environment, and now sees how this enjoys a new life thanks to the written literature.

Margarita del Mazo, from her experience as an oral storyteller, adapts this tale with an agile and simple style, giving it a unique sense of humor, which fits perfectly with the always fun illustrations by Roger Olmos.

The volumetric deformations made by the Catalan illustrator provide a curious perspective of human characters (old man, blacksmith, children…) and animals (snake, mosquito, bird, swallow, mouse…); two differentiated groups that serve to oppose reality and fantasy.

Finally, it is important to highlight the strength of his plastic proposal, which is based on oil paintings, a characteristic that is already part of Roger Olmos’ identity.

Text by Margarita del Mazo, taken from a traditional Chinese tale

Illustrations by Roger Olmos