A book to read with the kids: today recommended by Clara Huffmann, from Pípala

It's a bit unfair to mention Clara Huffmann 's lineage when talking about her, because besides being the great-granddaughter of the founder of El Ateneo and daughter of editor Adriana Hidalgo , she herself forged her own path as an editor of pípala , a sociologist, and a mother of two . "My childhood was marked by literature," she tells Clarín from Trevelin (Chubut), where she lives, and it's not hard to believe her.

Creator and director of pípala, the illustrated book label that celebrated its 15th anniversary last year , she says that if she were a girl she would choose the picture book Where the Wild Things Are , by Sendak: "I read it for the first time when I became the mother of my oldest son and both he and I loved it. He was very little and learned it by heart and I was discovering the layers of meaning it contains ," she shares.

And at Clarín 's request, he reviews the role of books in his life and recommends two must-reads.

–If you were a kid now, what book would you never miss?

–If I were a child today, I think I would choose the picture book Where the Wild Things Are by Sendak. I first read it when I became a mother to my oldest son, and both he and I loved it. He was very young and learned it by heart, and I was discovering the layers of meaning it contains: fears, anger, overwhelmed mothers, reconciliation, going back and forth to a place, a state. And as for literature books, I would choose The Confines Saga by the incredible and wonderful Lilliana Bodoc. The first is a short picture book, but it speaks volumes; it takes you on a journey of nervousness, which in no way diminishes the value of the child reader. Something similar happens with Bodoc's Saga; it tells a heartbreaking story that could be that of Latin America during the Spanish conquest. I always remember the words of the beloved Arnaldo Calveyra, "children are serious." By this, he meant that boys and girls are great readers and shouldn't be dismissed for having less literary experience. In both Where the Wild Things Are and The Saga... , the reader is placed in an uncomfortable position, where there is a certain suspense about what will happen to the characters. The narrative is told without sugarcoating or lightening the air. While reading Where the Wild Things Are , my son and I made monstrous faces, gestures, and claws, and in a way, we also inhabited our own inner monsters. I think that's the magic of good literature.

–What do you remember from your childhood readings?

My childhood was marked by literature. The first milestone in my connection with storytelling has to do with my grandmother and oral tradition: my family of origin had to move to Great Britain for a year when I was a baby, and my maternal grandmother, from Buenos Aires, sent us stories written by letter, whose main characters were earthworms. Her voice reached us through my mother's. Some time later, back in Argentina, my mother worked at the El Ateneo publishing house, and every year, before going on vacation to the south, she would take us to the Florida bookstore so my brother and I could take our time choosing the stack of books we would read during the summer. I remember two of them: Momo, by Michael Ende, and The Pilot's Cat , by Robert Westall. On the other hand, at the school I attended, literature was very important: in elementary school, there was a very large library, and we had an hour a week to visit it and take books home. The librarian, Gloria, was very helpful with recommendations and guidance on my reading journey. In high school, I had a teacher, Cecilia, who translated Alejandra Pizarnik into English, so she introduced me to literature in a more committed way. With her, we read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale , Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 , Golding's Lord of the Flies , Cortázar's short stories, among many other key titles and authors of 20th-century literature.

–How does the publisher choose the books it will publish?

–Each book has its own story, its own biography. At Pípala, we have translated books that arrive more fully prepared, but we also have our own books, which we create together with authors and illustrators. Two of them illustrate well the different paths the selection/editing process can take. The first, Migratory Birds, a Guide to 11 Magnificent Species, by Pía Floria and Marina Haller, is an informative book that took us more than five years to make. It all came about because we had just published Bears , and I wanted to continue with the line of informative books related to animals. Pía Floria lives in the same town as me, so I approached her to ask if she would be interested in doing a book with me. The subject of birds was very vast; there are thousands of bird species, so I suggested we tackle the topic of migration, which for me is one of the most interesting phenomena in nature, because it touches on the themes of evolution, instinct, and journey, and conceptually blurs the boundaries between countries. This is how we began working with Pía: first, we chose the species and what we would tell about them. She wrote, and I cut, edited, and suggested. Meanwhile, we worked with Christian Duarte, the designer for Pípala (with whom we won the editorial design award for this book at the 2024 ALIJA Awards), on the book's design and layout. Around 2021, we met Marina Haller, the illustrator, who perfectly interpreted what we needed for this book. So, the four of us worked together, from different parts of the country, and we managed to publish the book in 2024. This was Pípala's longest-running book, and with it, my conviction that books need their process, their time to mature, without rushing them. This book was also selected at the Bologna International Children's and Young Adult Book Fair, as part of the BRAW Amazing Bookshelf selection, which in 2025 was about sustainability.

The second book I'd like to talk about is Two Trains, One Train , by Valeria Tentoni, Martín Armada, and Sabina Schürmann, a board book for very early readers. It all came about because I had mentioned to Vale that I was looking for a text that was like a soft song, something rhythmic, that could be read to babies and small children as a lullaby. She sent me a home recording of a song that she and Martín, her partner, had written and composed, and I instantly knew it was perfect: the song, a train ride, with that swaying motion, was ideal.

We called on Sabina, who illustrated it magnificently, with that unique ability to narrate this journey. When the book was finished, I wanted the song to also be part of the journey, so I wrote to a childhood friend, Daniel Schnock, who is now a brilliant music producer, so we could record the song and incorporate it into the book with a QR code. He, incredibly talented, loving, and generous as always, welcomed us and worked his magic. Vale, with his voice and guitar, sings us this story, takes us on a journey.