My Town's (Extra) Ordinary People, Hardcover

This smart and whimsical portrait of the inhabitants of a town reveals the joys of discovering what makes each person unique and extraordinary.

Nico lives in a small coastal town, a place like any other, with ordinary neighbors and friends. But are they really ordinary? As Nico meanders through his town he introduces readers to his friends. There's Josean, who works on the docks and who could be an Olympic rower. Peru recites all different kinds of poetry to his son. Nico's best friend, Telmo, is a skateboarder with a wild imagination. Eva plays a mean jazz guitar and gives lessons so she can pay her rent and go to school. There's Keiko, a potter; Dave, who is really tall; Sara, who owns a bookstore; Claud, a waiter whose real passion is astronomy. Each of these people, twenty-one in all, is depicted in charming, colorful drawings that celebrate quirkiness and individuality. This book encourages young readers to get to know the people around them and discover how everyone is different in their own wonderful way.

MIKEL CASAL is an artist and illustrator from the Basque Country in Northern Spain. His work has appeared in The Guardian, Tatler, The Boston Globe, and Media Vaca.