Created in 2019, the publishing house NévedaEnt., based on the island of Pico, has already released 10 children’s books. Terry Costa explains the importance of having stories that Azorean children can relate to in this magnificent interview by Diário Insular in Terceira island, Azores.

After releasing original books, the publishing house NévedaEnt., based on the island of Pico, is now releasing two translated books: “Millionaire Idea,” from Ukraine, and “Once Upon a Time There Was a Train on the Island,” from Taiwan. Why are you betting on these two titles, and how important are the themes they address?
The first two books in translation, published by NévedaEnt., are winners of the prizes awarded by AnimaPIX, the animation festival on the island of Pico that programs everything from illustrated books to films. “Millionaire Idea,” by Ukrainian Katerina Sad, is a story for the very young that educates about a start-up, the idea of creating your own projects, something that I am tirelessly promoting and inspiring the young. The future lies with those who create; we must let our imaginations take us further. “Once Upon a Time There Was a Train on an Island” by Yi Wen Haung, before winning the AnimaPIX Prize, had already won the Taiwan National Museum of Human Rights Prize and is a story that questions the past, so that we don’t forget that human beings have been in much worse positions than they are now. Still, they can go back to the way things were if we aren’t attentive. Both books teach us life stories and are pertinent, given what is happening today. It’s interesting that the work from Ukraine, a country devastated by war, is a colorful and funny tale, while the one from Taiwan is darker for children over ten. Regina Pessoa, the president of the jury for the AnimaPIX Prize, said of the work that came to us from Taiwan that “this work reveals the high artistic level that illustrated books for children can achieve: great artistic quality of the illustrations and sophistication between the technique and aesthetics used and the composition of the images.” I translated the two works in direct conference with their authors. Katerina is already a collaborator of MiratecArts, our sister association to NévedaEnt., which, arm in arm, is building more for a better future.

What led you to set up the Néveda label, and how has your journey been?
In 2019, I launched my first illustrated book, Néveda nos Açores, giving birth to the character “Néveda,” which was immediately embraced by young and old alike, curious about the inspiration coming from the Néveda plant, Calaminthanepeta, which was only known for infusing teas and liqueurs. That’s when I began this journey into the world of kindergartens, nurseries, and children’s groups, something I had done very little of up until then. I loved it. But I also saw the gap in our stories or where the children could identify the connection to being an islander. That’s when I decided to build a world around the flower girl Néveda, from picture books to consumable commercial products. In 2021, I founded “NévedaEnt.” to develop the world of Néveda but also to welcome other stories and ideas that could be complementary. To date, we have cookies, Queijada da Néveda, with Aromas & Sabores Pastelaria, Gelado da Néveda, with Fiord’Azor Gelados Artesanais, and we are developing more products that fit in with Néveda’s stories. As well as supporting the character’s adventures, we’ve also started collaborating with other artists with the same values and ideas around this world for the children in all of us. We already have 10 books in the collection, and this year, we’ve also launched the Néveda Puppet to help educators, or those at home, tell these and other tales.

How have the Azoreans taken to the children’s books published by Néveda?
Néveda already has specific fans from island to island, but it attracts more yearly. Some people are already asking for more about Néveda. Some other characters and stories are more difficult to promote but are very important for the region’s versatility. It’s lovely to see that the girls almost always want the Néveda Puppet, and the boys are enchanted by the Néveda Toy, the latter of which we still only have the prototype we use in official presentations. Still, we hope that one day we’ll also be able to handcraft it, just like the Puppet, so that our talented women in the world of cutting and sewing can take this project forward. “Néveda nos Açores” was the most coveted book of 2020 and 2021 in the Azores. More than four thousand copies have already been distributed on the nine islands. And it attracts new fans every year.

Several of the books published by Néveda are now part of the Regional Reading Plan. Do you think they have contributed to encouraging young people to read in the Azores?
Any mention, award, review, or inclusion on lists always helps to give visibility and encourage the choice of product. That’s why the Regional Reading Plan is essential, very important, I would say, for developing reading and our stories in local society. The program needs to work in the region and beyond. If we can’t value what is ours, who will? LER Açores is not being implemented for the greater benefit of our authors’ publishers, but this is something that we can all change together over time if those leading the project wish to do so.

Do you have any other projects ready to launch in 2024?
Katerina Sad, the author of “Ideia Milionária” (Millionaire Idea), has a completed book we’ve acquired the rights to in Portuguese and is still developing a new book with the publisher. We hope that at least one will hit the shelves next year. We intend to publish the third adventure of Miss Néveda, after whom the publishing house is named. After “Néveda in the Azores” and “Néveda in the Americas,” we are working with the wine sector on the island of Pico, enlisting the collaboration of wine companies to produce this book with a strong local presence. “Néveda in the Azores” was originally published in Portuguese and English and later translated into Spanish and French. In 2024, he hopes to see a version published in Italian and Japanese. It’s not easy to develop these large illustrated books “for the child in all of us,” especially if you start from scratch, but our doors are open to artists who want to collaborate. As we note in our objective, with NévedaEnt. We aim to publish works that capture curiosity, arouse surprise, and maximum pleasure in readers of all ages. Original and stimulating titles, Azorean stories, and adaptations of classics with a real passion for books with unique illustrations, poetry with images, illustrated narratives, art with text, and text with art are the main focus. Illustrated works with a sense of creation and island experience or that connect with island life are also important and interesting to NévedaEnt.

in Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno–PBBI thanks the sponsorship of the Luso-American Development Foundation from Lisbon, Portugal (FLAD)