A visual journey to Valencia and its surroundings to discover the elements of its essence. A book for children, but also a work of artistic, educational and touristic interest. "Ecosistemas, València" is an illustrated album with all the magic of a "Wimmelbuch" and the richness that brings us to look beyond the walls of the city and that nature enters the scene.
But what is a "Wimmelbuch"?
The Wimmelbuch are a type of illustration books of German origin with a great tradition in this country but still little known in Spain. They are children's books of cardboard (600gr) plasticized where different parts of the city are shown while you accompany some characters that appear on each page. They have no predetermined words or stories, which allows an open, original and multilingual reading of the same while children have fun and learn recognizing parts of their city.
From the editors: "And what is it about our "Wimmelbuch" that makes it different and so special?
As soon as we started to specify the contents of the book we realized that for us our València was much more than emblematic buildings and squares. In fact, many of our favorite places were a little bit beyond the walls themselves. That was why we decided to broaden our gaze and represent not only the city (Ciutat Vella) but also the different ecosystems with which it borders and that somehow feed or nourish the city itself: the orchard, its arrival to the sea (port-marina), the natural park of the Albufera or the old riverbed, now transformed into a park and that crosses the entire city."
A book for the little ones and not so little ones
We have carried out a participatory research process where we contact key actors in each place to identify elements that have to do with the essence of each of the places (flora and fauna, historical, ecological, social or cultural elements) that we think can further enrich the different readings of the book, making it not only a book for children but a work of interest both educational and for tourism purposes".
Editors: Dorothee Fischer & Anna Santacreu