When You Look Up

Visually stunning, tactile, and mesmerizing, this graphic novel is a debut at the summit from a self-taught Argentinian visionary.

Lorenzo isn't happy about moving. But in his new room, he finds an old desk with what seems likes hundreds of drawers. Each even has its own smell! Deep inside the desk, he finds a book and begins to read. When he looks up, he sees all kinds of curious things. Has the book come to life? Or is it something else? This is a graphic novel about observation, imagination, and the many incredible lenses through which everyday experience might be perceived if you read.

Guillermo Decurgez, "Decur," was born in Rosario, Argentina in 1981. He is a self-taught cartoonist and illustrator, and the author of Merci!, Pipi cucu, Semillas 1, and Mi cajon favorito. His work has been published in the newspapers La Nacion and La Posta Hoy, and in the magazines Orsai, Fierro, free lyrics, Ineditadas, and N. He has also illustrated "Cents del globe 3," the board game "The Switcher," the "Mrs. Holle" stories, "El poroto magico," "The almost perfect crime," and "Ivan, the Fool." His paintings have been exhibited in France, Spain, Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, La Rioja, Buenos Aires, and Rosario. Decur's English-language graphic novel debut, When You Look Up, will published in 2020 from Enchanted Lion Books.

Review: Decur toggles deftly between Lorenzo's world and surreal episodes from the journal, the crisp, brightly colored pages crackling with circus-like energy, the somber paintings reflecting Lorenzo's slow but steady awakening. -Publishers Weekly
"Argentine writer and illustrator Decurgez employs a variety of artistic techniques to transport Lorenzo, and middle-grade readers, in and out of the imaginative world of the notebook. At 184 pages, this extended picture book is a visual feast, but also quietly thoughtful." -World Magazine