Age stage 5+
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Erika Berzina . Mom's poems. Riga: Big and small, 2020.
The collection has developed as poetic observations of relationships in a large family, using the perspectives of both children and parents to create a living sense of family togetherness.
In a way, it is a family diary, children are born, grow, relationships are formed, their world is filled, opened and expanded.
Bens Berants . Bubble fear. Riga: Latvian Media, 2020.
What is scarier: if something steals the ball at night or if you have to go in the woods to look for it in the dark? And what about BUBULI? The squirrel and the crow undertake to find the missing ball, even if they have to defeat the biggest ones - BUBULARBEILES. The lovely illustrated book by Lithuanian writer Ben Berant and artist Vilija Kvieskaitė about the adventures of the best friend squirrel and crow will not only entertain, but will also give the family a chance to talk about fear, because even the bravest are afraid of something.
Latvian translation of Gunta Apse.
Agnese Vanaga . Yard encyclopedia or what is it? Riga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2020.
The main character of the book is a cat - a noble cat with a special character and high self-confidence. He is the one who tells the reader about beetles, herons, mosquitoes, bats, ants, squirrels, hedgehogs, moles, beavers and others, because he has the honor, the joy or, on the contrary, the unpleasant surprise to encounter these animals. The author has managed to dress up interesting, little-known facts in sparkling, witty dialogues and word games that will surprise not only children, but also adults reading. Not only the British Shorthair, but also each of the animals encountered has its own special character, which the author has managed to discover both with a little peppery irony and benign humor.
The book is illustrated by graphic artist and graphic designer Agate Lielpētere. The text and illustrations form a successful tandem - the artist and the author share a sense of humor, so the comic-style drawings intercept and continue the idea addressed in the text.
The book was published last summer, spending slow and leisurely days in nature with children. Their endless questions had to be answered. Why did the leech suck me? Why is Dad angry about mole digging? Why is the heron afraid of us? In an ordinary yard, it turns out there are so many living creatures, if you are quiet and attentive - like a cat.
This is a story about a citizen's encounter with nature. About a British blue-gray cat, whose owners decide to move from a city apartment to a country house. There is so much unusual in the ordinary yard - a earthworm that does not die if it is cut in half; flies with taste sensors on their feet; a hedgehog that must not be milked; a squirrel whose nest always has two exits. The stories in the book are like small steps closer to nature, from which we become a little more alienated with each generation.
Agnese Vanaga
Everything funny is in the details! As an artist and illustrator, it is especially important for me to be attentive, to see what goes unnoticed without going deep. The "yard encyclopedia" is, in my opinion, a great help in improving this sense. Before looking for parrots, see and get to know the local lake swan!
Agate Lielpētere
Juris Zvirgzdins . Captain 's horse. Riga: Big and small, 2020.
The main character of the book is a red wooden horse - a toy given to a boy. Growing up and leaving home, the boy gradually becomes estranged from the horse, just like from his childhood. However, the horse has intuitively perceived and preserved the boy's dream of the sea - it is based on the fascinating stories told by the sea snail about other toys, but at the end of the book it is clear that both the boy and the horse have realized the same dream. The horse has set sail, got to know the sea, endured various difficulties, but the boy has become the captain of the ship - and that is why they are destined to meet again. The red horse is like a childhood preserved in adulthood, uniting him with the generations of his parents and his children. The horse is like a small messenger, a linker: between dreams and adult life, between father and daughter, between two shores of the sea, where grandparents and grandchildren live. The story is simple and full of human warmth, it corresponds to children's ability to feel the toy as a living being.
The book is illustrated by Mārtiņš Zutis.
Ilo Pikovs . Tuk-tuk! Riga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2020.
One day, a loud knock begins to sound in the quiet and peaceful forest. All the birds and beasts are in horror: what is going on here, who is making such a Jandali and disturbing the usual calm life?
Translated from Estonian by Daila Ozola.
The book was published with the support of the Estonian Cultural Capital Foundation's Traducta program.
Petri Tamminens . How to expect an alien. Petri Tamminens. Riga: Latvian Media, 2021.
One day, a loud knock begins to sound in the quiet and peaceful forest. All the birds and beasts are in horror: what is going on here, who is making such a Jandali and disturbing the usual calm life? Translated from Estonian by Daila Ozola. The book was published with the support of the Estonian Cultural Capital Foundation's Traducta program