What if dictionaries failed to tell the truth about words? When a child looks up the definition of manacá, a fragrant flowering tree growing in the family garden, the result feels disappointingly incomplete. The dictionary describes the plant objectively, but leaves out its scent, the memories it awakens, the people connected to it, and the feelings it carries. Determined to find a truer meaning, the child begins creating personal definitions filled with colors, sounds, emotions, and lived experiences.

Written by Marina Miyazaki, Sentimentary is a lyrical picture book that explores the relationship between language, memory, and imagination. Through a first-person narrative, objective definitions gradually give way to subjective ones, inviting readers to reflect on the many meanings words can acquire through individual experience. Inspired by the idea that poetic language can sometimes express deeper truths than factual descriptions, the book encourages children to become creators of meaning themselves.

Sandra Jávera’s illustrations brilliantly mirror this tension between the scientific and the emotional. Botanical precision coexists with dreamlike shapes, delicate watercolor textures, and floating patterns that guide readers from the observable world into the realm of memory and imagination. Together, text and image create a sophisticated reading experience that celebrates creativity, emotional literacy, and the transformative power of language.