About the Author

Bruna Dantas Lobato is a fiction writer and literary translator based in St. Louis. Her recent translations include Caio Fernando Abreu's Moldy Strawberries, Stênio Gardel's The Words That Remain, and Giovana Madalosso's Tokyo Suite.ANA MATSUSAKI was born in São Paulo and has a degree in graphic design from the Centro Universitário Belas Artes. Since 2015, she's worked as an illustrator and book designer. In 2019 and again in 2021, her work was selected for inclusion in the Catálogo Iberoamérica Ilustra, which features the most important names working in illustration in the region. Her work has also been selected for the 2021 Biennial of Illustration Bratislava. The Collector of Heads is her debut book, originally published in Brazil and a finalist of the 2021 Jabuti Award.

Reviews

"Oooo! You just know you're in good hands when you see a title like that! Meet Ana Matsusaki, a debut author illustrator from Brazil. Now what is the premise of this book? I'll show rather than tell: A little morbid? Maybe. But awfully Wednesday Addams, wouldn't you agree? The cool trick to this book is that you can see what's inside of each head ... And don't worry. Ana Matsusaki is also willing to put her own head on the line."-- Fuse 8, a School Library Journal blog by Betsy Bird "Latin American author/artist Ana Matsusaki's beautifully illustrated book, The Collector of Heads is ably translated into English by Bruna Dantas Lobato and explores the delicate and complex cultural aspects of death with great humor and invites children to reflect on the shared and unique contents inside each of our heads. Original, entertaining, thought-provoking, The Collector of Heads is an unusual and highly recommended addition to elementary school, middle school, and community library picture book collections." --Midwest Book Review "Rosália makes for an unusual picture book character, with her skull and crossbones tattoo, black cat, and collection of heads in jars. Using mixed media collages, Brazilian-Japanese artist Ana Matsusaki leads us on a visual inspection of the shelves in Rosália's laboratory ... The artwork is whimsical and wonderful, with dark blood red throughout and lots of black and pink ... Fans of Jon Klassen may enjoy meeting Rosália and her macabre collection." --Youth Services Book Review