When the dragon swallowed the
sun Aksinja Kermauner
Alberdania, 2024

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Dozens of books have been written by Slovenian writer Aksinja Kermauner. This is the first published in Basque, translated by Patxi Zubizarreta and published by Alberdania. On the editorial website it is stated that the author writes for children, young people and adults; in addition to this, it is specified that he has also written for children with sensory disabilities, as illustrated tactile books. Sensitive to the subject, Kermauner is a woman who has worked with young people with visual impairments. The protagonist of the book When the Dragon Ate the Sun is almost blind, and from his mouth we will know about the trip of a group of students and teachers to China.

The characteristics of a travel book are collected: the tourist guide Laura will tell us the mythological details of the country (such as the dragon of the title) and the historical/geographical details, or the details of the most important monuments.
Linguistic issues have also been taken into account by the writer and this affects the structure. The titles of the chapters are written in Basque, Chinese and Pinyin (phonetic writing). We will also find a couple of recipes of the foods that the group tastes. It also tells us about the daily life of a journey that is perhaps too detailed and too long.

It’s not the only trip in the book. The story of the inner journey of all the characters, but especially the protagonist Suncan, is important to keep intrigue, curiosity and the desire to read alive. His teacher and father are all stubborn, he has a hard time saying words and he needs a whole book to know the secrets he holds. During this journey, Suncan discovers many things about himself, his family and even his origins.

Someone might think that the protagonist Suncan, who barely sees it, will make us a real, convincing portrait of the trip. But you just have to start reading to awaken all the senses and start listening, smelling, touching and tasting as you read the book. The protagonist himself responds in this way to a classmate who uses the verb to see with him (75.orria): “Yes, use the verb calmly to see. It's synonymous with Geratu. And I see it in some way: from a distance through the ears and from a distance through the hands.” When the dragon devours the sun, an eclipse occurs and (no)it is often better seen in that light. A really interesting exercise that the author proposes.