10 outstanding characters by Monteiro Lobato that make us proud of Brazilian literature

José Bento Renato Monteiro Lobato is considered one of the greatest children’s writers in Brazil. Proof of this is that National Children’s Book Day is celebrated on April 18, the date on which he was born, in 1882. On this day, several tributes to the writer take place in schools, libraries and cultural centers.

O awesome.club decided to gather some of its most famous characters for you, in addition to telling you something new at the end. Check it out!

Grandmother of the children Narizinho and Pedrinho, Dona Benta is one of the most outstanding grandmothers in world literature. She enlightens the little ones with her wisdom, teaching them subjects like Geography, Astronomy and Physics, as well as telling fascinating stories. And the best: without being boring.

Grandson of Dona Benta and cousin of Narizinho, he lives in the city, and always goes to his grandmother’s place on vacation. The boy’s great virtue is his adventurous and courageous character, always getting into incredible adventures around Sítio do Picapau Amarelo. He always carries his slingshot in his pocket, and says he’s not afraid of (almost) anything.

Lúcia Encerrabodes de Oliveira — Narizinho — got this nickname because of her upturned nose. She is the granddaughter of Dona Benta, with whom she lives in the big house in Sítio do Picapau Amarelo. At 8 years old, Narizinho owns Emília, the talking doll, but she is only happy when Pedrinho comes to spend the holidays at his grandmother’s house, and the two participate in great adventures.

The character appears for the first time in “A Menina do Narizinho Arrebitado”, a story later transformed into the first chapter of “Reinações de Narizinho”, a work that brings together several stories that have already been published by the author.

Since its creation, in 1920, Emília has received several representations by great illustrators, in Brazil and abroad. Her hands had no fingers, and her hair was squiggles, following Lobato’s initial description.

The character has an absolute charisma. She was born mute like any doll, but Narizinho wanted her to create life. Emília was then “cured” by Dr. Caramujo, who gave him a talking pill. She then began to speak.

Responsible for giving the Sítio do Picapau Amarelo an air of Brazilianness, the kind cook gave the place its flavor, especially with her dumplings. She was the one who made Emília, using scraps of cloth from an old skirt.

The curious thing is that Lobato revealed that the character was inspired by a cook who worked in his house, and also a nanny for his children.

One of Lobato’s gifts was to create original characters, such as the Viscount, an intelligent doll made of corn cobs. With straws around his neck, he wears a top hat on his head and has a crown sign on his forehead.

That’s why he’s the Viscount of Sabugosa. A true sage, who studies hard. So much so that he nearly died gorged on Algebra. He teaches Geography and Geology to the class, and helped discover oil in the Sítio lands.

Created in the work “Urupês”, which contains 14 stories based on the rural worker from São Paulo, Jeca is a lazy character, always squatting and barefoot. He is a naive man and full of beliefs.

Marquês de Rabicó, or just Rabicó, better known as Celito, is Narizinho’s pet. He got his name because he only had a little tail. The poor thing is terrified of Aunt Nastácia, who always tries to put him in the pot, but never succeeds, because Narizinho protects him.

Cuca, in fact, is a character from Brazilian folklore, just like Saci, but who was immortalized in the work of Monteiro Lobato. Even though she is a child character, the witch with the alligator body and blond hair has already left many disobedient children on high alert.

Pedrinho went hunting in Capoeirão dos Tucanos, the virgin forest of Sítio do Picapau Amarelo, and found a saci, who told him the secrets of the forest and various legends of Brazilian folklore. Saci is a one-legged boy, who has a red cap on his head and walks in whirlpools.

With the transposition of Lobato’s texts to television, Saci surpassed the imaginary, was personified and became one of the most famous characters in our folklore.

In 2019, Monteiro Lobato’s works finally passed into the Public Domain, that is, copyright no longer belongs to the author’s family members or their representatives.

With this, the collection of works by Monteiro Lobato can be published by anyone interested in him, which has already resulted in the emergence of a new wave of works and updated studies on the author and his work, which will always have a guaranteed place in the affective memory of all, for presenting so realistically the creativity and culture of our people.

This left many fans anxiously awaiting the next versions. And you, what did you think of it? Leave your opinion here in the comments?