The Day Mother Had a Face Like a Tea-Pot

Little Mark’s mother was so annoyed, smoke started coming out of her mouth as if she were a dragon. Right then, her nose changed into a spout; and her left ear, into a handle. Finally, little Mark picked a tea-pot up off the floor that looked much like his mother. Frightened, the boy went to see his neighbour, his grandmother Lucy, his uncle John, his friend Frank, the librarian, Ignatius… but nobody seemed able to help.

An agile tale, fresh and full of humour, inciting from the beginning and that, parting from the common-place and playing with the unexpected, it manages to take us to a fantastic world full of rhythm where everything is possible.

A tale to transmit the pleasure of reading to children, and above all to those who think the imagination is the most powerful tool we have for learning about reality.

The Portuguese illustrator João Vaz de Carvalho, through the images, connects with the surrealism of the text, creating typical characters, of a rigid pose and large eyes, in a personal imagery that plays with fantasy and humour.