Jiří Dvořák ventures into the world of plants and animals with regularity and success, as evidenced by his book How Animals Sleep. His next, Myco: A Complete Report from the World of Mushrooms, introduces the Czech hobby of mushroom-picking. An artistic work of nonfiction, it looks at mushrooms through a fictitious magazine composed of pretend newspaper reports, facts couched in imaginative language, and original art by Daniela Olejníková. It won the international Bologna Ragazzi Award and a 2024 Magnesia Litera (Czechia). I, Octopus, an elaborately illustrated artist’s book by Magdalena Rutová, tells the story of an exceptional member of its species. Having learned to read and write, it explores the human world to find out why people send their inventions, notably mobile phones and used plastics, to the seabed. It builds a house on land, sees off a bank robber, goes to a concert, and fends off a xenophobic attack in a supermarket. This book won a 2023 Golden Ribbon award (Czechia).

Jiří Dvořák, Magdalena Rutová. Moderation: Mirko Kraetsch