Foreign rights

AKIARA was founded in Barcelona in February 2018 by Inês Castel-Branco, continuing her vision as publisher at Pequeño Fragmenta, with books translated into over 10 languages.

“AKIARA” refers to the expression ‘here and now’ (‘aquí i ara’ in Catalan, ‘aquí y ahora’ in Spanish —but written with a K, to make it more playful, as children’s books should be!), and to the Japanese name Akira 明, meaning ‘bright’.

AKIARA publishes beautifully-illustrated children’s books focusing on ecology, education, social justice, tales from other cultures, philosophy, psychology, and mindfulness. With inspiring texts and illustrations, its books stimulate children’s and teenagers’ sense of wonder while encouraging the art of reading, thinking, debating, contemplating, and getting to know themselves.

We are very happy to have sold the rights of our books in more than a dozen countries: the United States, Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Turkey, Iran, Korea, China and Japan. And we hope to find many more homes for them abroad!

For more information, please contact Veronique Kirchhoff, from Vérok Agency, who represents our books in the most important Fairs, such as Frankfurt and Bologna: vero@verokagency.com.

 

Download  FOREIGN RIGHTS CATALOG 2020  

  • Tancho

    Luciano Lozano
    Elena Martín Valls
    In the wetlands of Hokkaido, in Japan, since Tancho was a kid he has been looking forward to the first snow and the arrival of the cranes that spend the winter on the island. He loves to look at the curious and graceful dance they make in front of his window. However, as years pass by, less and less cranes are coming, and one winter only one pair arrives. The older people who used to feed the cranes are gone, and everyone is too busy and seems to have forgotten about them. But Tancho hasn't… Inspired by a real story, this book conveys a deep respect for the animal world and is a tribute to those caring for nature.
    Rights sold in FRENCH

  • To the other side

    Cristina Falcón Maldonado
    Mariona Cabassa
    Elena Martín Valls
    Juan José today can't do anything because the cable of the zip-line cable has broken, the zip-line he used to jump on every day to go to school, across the river, since the bridge was carried away by a flood. Juan José closes his eyes but remains awake, because he wants to dream. He is keen on daydreaming, so that the dreams can be chosen by him rather than by fear or by the night. Inspired by a true story from Venezuela, this book is an invitation to think about wealth and poverty, mockery and self-improvement, daydreaming and celebration.
    All rights available

  • A little seed

    Mar Benegas
    Neus Caamaño
    Seed that will be tree, tree that will drop seeds. Each page of this book is a story about the fertility of the earth and the miracle of life. You can start wherever you want, above or below the earth's surface, to flow with the amazing cycles of nature.
    All rights available

  • BirdHeart

    Mar Benegas
    Rachel Caiano
    Nana was born on an island, by the sea, and she kept asking questions that no one could answer. Her eyes were seeing further. She had to write it all down, so that it wouldn’t slip away like sand through her fingers. A wonderful tale about the birth of poetry and love.
    All rights available

  • Under the Stones

    Arianna Squilloni
    Laia Domènech
    Dani Espresate
    When you stop to look at nature, you see it brimming with liveliness, sometimes moving fast like lightining, sometimes at an incredibly slow pace. An ode to the charm of small details and the wonders of nature.
    All rights available

  • Clouds in the Head

    Elena Val
    “They say we don’t keep our feet on the ground. They say I have my head in the clouds and that Grandma has clouds in her head.” A caring book about Alzheimer’s Disease in the elderly, as seen by the eyes of her grandchild.
    Rights sold in LITHUANIAN

  • In the Dark

    Halil Bárcena
    Laura Borràs Dalmau
    The sudden arrival of the travelling circus was greeted with enthusiasm by everyone. They were keeping in secret a mysterious animal from India. What did it look like? A new version of the old Eastern story about the blind men and the elephant, inviting us to reflect on our partial view of things.
    All rights available

  • Malala Yousafzai: My story is the story of many girls

    Clara Fons Duocastella
    Yael Frankel
    Anna Llisterri
    When Malala Yousafzai was fifteen, she was attacked by the Taliban for defending the right of girls to have an education. She survived multiple surgeries and has become an icon for human rights and particularly for the right to an education. She is the youngest person ever to have been awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. In her acceptance speech, delivered in Oslo in 2014, Malala explains her story, which is also the story of milions of girls living in situations of discrimination or conflict.
    All rights available

  • Si'ahl / Ted Perry: Every part of this earth is sacred to my people

    Jordi Pigem
    Neus Caamaño
    In 1854, a well-respected indigenous leader, chief Si’ahl (more often spelled 'Seattle'), made an eloquent speech explaining that land cannot be sold. Since the 19th century, there have been many attemps to reconstruct the lost words of Si’ahl. Carefully avoiding the problems of previous editions, From what we can gather today, we present the most reliable version of his speech, with an essay highlighting the relevance of its ecological and spiritual approach for today's predicament.
    All rights available

  • Severn Cullis-Suzuki: Make your actions reflect your words

    Alex Nogués
    Ana Suárez
    Severn Cullis-Suzuki was only twelve when she spoke to the whole world. What are we doing to the Earth, our home? Where is the limit to human greed? Little Severn left the entire audience of world leaders in silence, asking them to be coherent and to make their actions reflect their words. Her touching words, both simple and powerful, are no less alive today than when they were pronounced at the Rio Summit of 1992.
    All rights available

  • José Mujica: I am from the South, I come from the South. Where the Atlantic meets the River Plate

    Dolors Camats
    Guridi
    José Mujica, at the time president of Uruguay, gave this speech at the General Assembly of the UN in 2013. With powerful and compelling images, he criticizes the absurdities of today’s economy, of world inequalities, and of the empty lifestyles generated by consummerism, making at the same time a powerful plea for the joy and the freedom of simpler lifestyles.
    All rights available

  • Wangari Maathai: Plant trees, sow ideas

    Laia de Ahumada
    Vanina Starkoff
    Jordi Pigem
    In 2004 Wangari Maathai was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize for having led the Green Belt Movement, planting tens of milions of trees in Kenya while at the same time transforming the social landscape of the country. We offer her famous speech in a bilingual edition, with two-color illustrations and an in-depth commentary on its key issues.
    All rights available

  • Steve Jobs: Have the courage to follow your intuition

    Fran Pintadera
    Matías Acosta
    Jordi Pigem
    In 2005 Steve Jobs delivered the Commencement Address at Stanford University, summarizing his life journey and encouraging every student and every person to follow his or her own heart and intuition. We offer his famous speech in a bilingual edition, with two-color illustrations and an in-depth commentary on its key issues.
    All rights available

  • Breathe

    Inês Castel-Branco
    "Mum, I can’t sleep tonight. I am nervous and so many thoughts are going through my mind.” “Let me show you how to breathe…” A beautifully illustrated picture book that will enable children to overcome their anxieties through playful breathing, stretching and relaxation excercises they can relate to.
    Rights sold in ENGLISH (for North America), FRENCH, GERMAN, ITALIAN, PORTUGUESE (for Brazil), POLISH, CHINESE SIMPLIFIED & KOREAN

  • Why Do We Cry?

    Fran Pintadera
    Ana Sender
    Tina Vallès
    «Why do we cry?», asks Mario to his mum. She answers by talking about the clouds, the sea, chests and walls. A delicate picture book, filled with poetry, defending the right and importance to cry.
    Rights sold in ENGLISH (for North America), FRENCH (for North America), ITALIAN, JAPANESE & KOREAN

  • Yoga

    Míriam Raventós
    Maria Girón
    Can you do many things at once? It’s not so hard... Well, many, many years ago, in India, some men realized that doing many things at once was fairly easy but they wondered what would happen if they only did one thing, the simplest, the most natural one of all: breathing… A beautiful introductory book to Yoga.
    Rights sold in ENGLISH (for North America), GERMAN, ITALIAN & UKRAINIAN

  • The Drop of Water

    Inês Castel-Branco
    What happens to the drop of water when it falls into the ocean? The drop disappears. But what am I, the drop of water or the water in the drop? Nothing happens to the water. Death won´t be different from life. An adaptation of a text from Raimon Panikkar, this beautiful book explains death to children, in a serene and natural way, in the year of the 100th Anniversary of the philosopher’s birth.
    Rights sold in GERMAN, PORTUGUESE (for Brazil), LITHUANIAN & KOREAN

  • The Beach of the Useless

    Alex Nogués
    Bea Enríquez
    Anna Llisterri
    ‘My name is Sofia. I am 11 years old and when I grow up, I want to be useless’. So begins the innocent, impromptu, profound and moving story of a little girl who loved to play on the beach in winter, who preferred Mozart and Kandinski to mathematics and who couldn’t bear her father telling her that, one day, she will have to ‘earn a living’. In praise of uselessness in a technological, cold and hasty society.
    Rights sold in PORTUGUESE (for Brazil) & TURKISH

  • The Tightrope Walker

    Alex Tovar
    Àfrica Fanlo
    Life is like a thread we walk on every day, taking one step after the other, climbing high and going down, facing the rain and the storms, getting lost and crossing the path of people putting us in the right direction… making each one of us a tightrope walker in our own way.
    Rights sold in GERMAN & CHINESE SIMPLIFIED

  • Are you raining or shining?

    Mireia Vidal
    Anna Font
    Look above you. Is it raining or shining? Look inside you. Are you raining or shining? Now look at this story and you will see how everything we do has an impact on someone. You can now tell this secret to everyone. But be careful, because you choose... Are you raining or shining?
    Rights sold in TURKISH

  • The Sixth Sense

    Laia de Ahumada
    Mercè López
    Next to the five senses, we must have another one that enables us to see, listen, smell, taste and feel what we can not see with our eyes, our ears, our nose, our mouth or with the touch: the sixth sense. A beautifully illustrated book about listening to what we feel inside, intuition and sensitivity.
    Rights sold in FRENCH

  • Parco

    Alex Nogués
    Guridi
    Parco decides to come back to this world to say goodbye, another time, to his wife, children, friends... A beautiful and humorous picture book about the passing away of our dear ones and how much we miss them.
    Rights sold in RUSSIAN

  • Tao

    Manel Ollé
    Neus Caamaño
    How to introduce children to the philosophy of taoism? Trough selected extracts of the Tao Te Ching, talking about rivers, houses or trees, they will come to discover how to think about life in a diferent way.
    Rights sold in FRENCH

  • Coming and Going Day

    Alain Allard
    Mariona Cabassa
    For thousands of years people had been Nomads, following the rhythms of the earth, the passage of the sun and the dance of time. Now, however, they have houses and barely move. But, each year, they keep on honoring their wandering roots in a communal Coming and Going Day.
    Rights sold in PORTUGUESE (for Brazil)

  • The Gentile And The Three Wise Men

    Ramon Llull
    Ignasi Moreta
    Àfrica Fanlo
    Once upon a time there was a gentile, that is, a man who wasn’t practicing any religion. His way crossed the one of three wise men, a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim. As each of the three men tried to convince him his faith was the real one, they came to realize this encounter was a chance to unite rather than to divide.
    Rights sold in FRENCH & ITALIAN

  • Nasrudin's Stories

    Halil Bárcena
    Mariona Cabassa
    Nasrudin is a wise man who will disconcert young readers and adults alike with his spontaneity and unhibitions, so similar to those of children. His stories go much further than conventional jokes, they are an example of the transforming power of humor!
    Rights sold in PERSIAN

  • Where Is The Moon?

    Jordi Amenós
    Albert Arrayás
    One night, before going to bed, Pablo looks attentively at the moon for the first time. He finds it so beautiful, magical, big and shiny. But a few days later he realises it’s getting smaller and smaller…until it disappears completely. Where is it gone? Can his friends help him solve the mystery?
    Rights sold in KOREAN & CHINESE SIMPLIFIED

  • Where Do Ideas Come From?

    Jordi Amenós
    Albert Arrayás
    On a rainy day, Julia and her friends are busy drawing but Julia struggles to find inspiration. Luke knows exactly what to do and brings them to the garden, where lives the Genie of Ideas, inside a tree with a very large hole. A story about inspiration, creativity and the birth of ideas.
    All rights available

  • I have a toy tank

    Pere Martí i Bertran
    Núria Tomàs Mayolas
    I have a toy tank and tin soldiers, and every time I played, I killed a couple of them. Until one day I saw on TV soldiers crushed by tanks. Everything was full of blood! From then on, I started to have nightmares and decided to give a new life to my little toy soldiers, turning them into farmers. The tank became a wheelbarrow, and the battlefield is now a farm in nature. I can sleep well again! A beautifully illustrated poem, that makes us reflect on the banalization of war in today’s world.
    All rights available

  • Sailer on Land

    Laia de Ahumada
    Gemma Capdevila
    It’s John’s first summer in the mountains, alone with his grandmother, after having lived all his life on a sailing boat with his parents. He will discover the value of soil and come to appreciate it as he did the sea. With summer and the imminent beginning of high school, it will also be time for him to take the path from childhood to adulthood. He confides in the logbook his mum gave him before leaving to help refugees and shares there all his new feelings and experiences.
    All rights available

  • The Two Wolves

    Wilfred
    Each one of us has a good and a bad wolf inside, explains an Indian legend. “Which one of them will win?”, asks a little Indian girl to her grandfather… His answer results brief and surprising.
    All rights available

  • The Awakening Of The Tree

    Dídac P. Lagarriga
    Albert Asensio
    A small tree wakes up after a long winter, barely able to see. As it grows, it is going to experiment the seasons and the interaction with the other trees, animals and humans.
    All rights available

  • The Path

    Mario Satz
    Yara Kono
    An entertaining poem dedicated to the art of walking, filled with disconcerting questions. Yara Kono’s illustrations play with words and take every page apart to bring reflection. Even though we don’t always know where we are going, walking is always a pleasure. Amongst many and varied ones, there is a path that is or will be ours. To find it, we will need attention and patience.
    All rights available

  • My Pirate Grandpa

    Laia Massons
    Zuzanna Celej
    Every sunday, grandpa was telling stories to his grandkids, sitting on the bench of the park next to their home. Pirates stories or childhood memories that came to his mind or from his own story. Until, one day, he was taken to the hospital and everything changed...
    All rights available

  • Haru's School

    Flavia Company
    Luciano Lozano
    Follow the five years apprenticeship of four students and their master Haru in a Dojo, through nine episodes focusing on Oriental disciplines such as origami, callygraphy, taichi, meditation, gardening, cleaning, playing, silence or archery.
    All rights available

  • Jatakas

    Marta Millà
    Rebeca Luciani
    A long, long time ago, some very peculiar animals with magic powers were born in Southeast Asia. They say that everywhere they went, they transformed shadows into light. Six beautifully illustrated Jatakas, old tales in which Budha and his disciples transmit love and respect towards their surroundings and others.
    All rights available

  • Your Song

    Inês Castel-Branco
    María Ella Carrera
    Xavier Melloni
    There is a legend that says that in an African tribe, when a woman discovers she is expecting, she rushes to tell the others. A few days later, at sunrise, they all get into the jungle to uncover, together, the song of the new child, the one they believe will accompany him his own life.
    All rights available

  • The Song of Silence

    Nina da Lua
    Gemma Capdevila
    “Where do the stars hide when the day comes?” asks a little boy to his mum. “What if we asked this to the silence?” she replies. In a sensitive and poetical text, reminiscent of Haikus, Nina da Lua takes us on a journey through pain, separation, friendship, dreams, hope… silent situations in which stars hide.
    All rights available

  • The Feather

    Maria Beitia
    Tina Vallès
    A feather breaks away from a pigeon and falls into a bush. When a mother finds it, she gives it a new life.
    All rights available

  • Dripperlipper

    Tina Vallès
    Gabriel Salvadó
    Dripperlipper is an unlucky boy. He has one distracted and one surprised eye and always walks around with an open mouth and his shirt soaked with a trail of saliva falling down. Boney is a colourless scrwany fish that lives in the fishes’ stall of a travelling funfair. One day the funfair moves into Dripperlipper’s street…
    All rights available