Mylene is an eleven-year-old who loves nature. Her naturalist mother teaches her to know and protect it. Mylene puts her learning and enthusiasm to good use when her mother must undergo a serious operation. Olga Stehlíková handles a sensitive topic with great empathy, using the little girl’s knowledge to describe a terminal illness in figurative terms. Fragile, dream-like collages (which won Andrea Tachezy a Czech Golden Ribbon award) show the young person’s heightened perceptions. Grandad in pink trousers is an oddball. He frowns a lot and has little time for others. But after his grandson is born, he is devoted to the child. He is always kind to the environment, which explains why he walks around in pink trousers of Grandma’s that she wanted to throw away. Although Grandad may seem ridiculous to others, the little reader soon sees the thoughtful, kind person under the skin. Lucie Hášová Truhelková’s work is again complemented by Andrea Tachezy’s playful, imaginative illustrations.

Lucie Hášová Truhelková, Olga Stehlíková, Andrea Tachezy. Moderation: Jana Krötzsch. Reading: Laura Richter