Kebarie

Janja Vidmar (1962), one of the most fertile and successful Slovene children's writers, deals with very varied problem themes. In the present text, the Roma girl Kebarie attends a Slovene school and is in constant conflict with her schoolmates, with the teachers and with the wider environment. She also has a range of problems in her family, though mainly because they are concealing from her the whereabouts of her absent father. The story, divided into days of the week and supported by illustrations by Damijan Stepančič (1969), makes pleasant reading. The textual and artistic combination and imaginative design are adapted to contemporary (younger) readers. The dynamic and exciting tale above all deserves praise, which the author constructs imaginatively using language enriched with Roma expressions, with a topical message about difference and coexistence, intercultural dialogue and multi-linguality and, at the same time, interwoven with messages of basic human values, such as love, truth, faithfulness etc. It is very convincing in showing the girl's bond to the father and affiliation to the Roma tradition. It is also particularly worth mentioning that the father tells her wonderful fairy tales and encourages her to read. The text thus also contains the conviction of the importance of telling stories and reading! The work is contemporary and of high quality from all points of view so it can certainly contribute to the maturing of young readers and, at the same time, is also a valuable reading experience for adults.