Gabi Silvi Silva

multilingual storytelling

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About

Gabi Silvi Silva writes and tells stories for children of all ages. She lives in the Boston area, in Massachusetts (United States). Whenever she gets a chance, Gabi visits her family in Brazil and Spain.

Gabi uses she/her pronouns.

Gabi Silvi Silva smiling and holding an illustration of herself, with a background of plants and a globe.

The only thing Gabi doesn’t do around here is draw. The illustrations are by @lvl1gremlinstudio—the creation of the wonderful Gremlin de Luz. Thank you, Gremlin! You are the best.

Logo da @lvl1gremlinstudio, ilustração uma gremlin roxa com cabelo verde, cercada de pincéis e lápis de cor.

gabi, THE STORYTELLER

Gabi loves reading. But she discovered that it’s even more fun to read to other people—especially families who want to hear more stories in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Along with the stories, Gabi also brings music, movement, and play.

Come to an event, or ask your library or school to bring Gabi in!

Gabi holding a book in front of a group of families in the library.
Gabi making gestures while singing a children's song in front of a group of families at the library.
Gabi holding a bubble machine, with many bubbles floating over a group of children and their families.

gabi, the librarian (assistant)

Although Gabi does her own storytelling, she also works as an Assistant Librarian in the Greater Boston area. She is part of a Youth Services team that selects books for the library’s Juvenile collection, plans and hosts programming, and assists all library patrons and visitors.

Public libraries are for everyone and offer free programs and resources. Reading with your children makes all the difference in their development. Many libraries also have play areas, printers, a collection of “things” you can borrow (such as games, tools, and electronics), and — here in the Boston area — English as a Second Language classes. Visit the library closest to your home and ask what they offer! A librarian’s role is to help you.

GABI, THE WRITER

Now, as a reward for reading this far, I’m going to tell you a secret. Gabi invented a time machine!

A photo of Gabi as a child, standing inside a blue bucket and holding onto its rim. In the background, a hammock is visible.

Gabi in her time machine

Let me explain: before writing stories for children, Gabi used to write code for computers, tablets, and smartphones. But one very rainy day—one of those days full of lightning and thunder—she found herself missing what it was like to be a child, back when she would escape rainy days by reading funny books about sunshine and playtime. She read a lot—and I mean a lot! She even won an award for being the child who borrowed the most books from the public library in her hometown, in the countryside of São Paulo.

But now that she was an adult, how could she go back in time? She tried many lines of code, mathematical formulas, and even talked to scientists. Until, one day, she found the solution:

INVENTING AND TELLING STORIES!

And not just any story—only the kind of story she would have loved to read as a child! Like any inventor, she tested this formula many times before reaching her conclusion: it works! Whenever she finds herself smiling at a story she made up, just like that, she is transported right back to her childhood, reading on the laps of her mother and grandmothers.

And so, Gabi created her own personal time machine. But she has a theory that this magic formula works for all adults—provided they choose something they truly, deeply loved as children!

Now, Gabi spends her days playing at inventing — and she has excellent company! (Plus, of course, she continues to read a lot.)

Groups and events Gabi recommends: