The jury saw "Mana" as a good example of the chameleon-like nature of picturebooks, due to its ability to absorb a wide variety of expressions, both with pictures and words.
"The short, colloquial text with a sense of humor, together with the author's graphic universe - stripped back and seemingly simple, but revealing a certain consistency and with narrative potential - made this book worthy of publication."
Kitty Crowther, Isabel Minhós Martins and Paula Estorninho (members of the 1st edition jury)
Born in Penafiel in 1990, Joana Estrela started drawing family portraits at an early age, writing funny subtitles to go along with them. One of her classic birthday gifts was a list of things-we-say-when-we-are-angry, applying the concept to different family members.
