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MOLITVICE S STOPNIC

Language: 
Slovenian
Title in English: 
Prayers from the Stairway
Author: 
Peter Svetina
Illustrator: 
Ana Zavadlav
Place of publication: 
Ljubljana
Country: 
Slovenia
Publisher: 
Mladinska knjiga založba
Year of publication: 
2016
Series: 
Čebelica
ISBN: 
978-961-01-4100-6
Size: 
21 x 21
Pages: 
p. 16
Illustrations: 
Colour
Category: 
Poetry

In this book of poems/prayers, the author reflects a child’s wonder, her questioning of the world around her, as nothing is self-evident for a child. The book is based on an infrequently encountered subject, a child’s reflections on God. It explores gratitude, fear, aging, and intergenerational dialogue. As such, the collection could easily have fallen into the trap of being preachy or idealizing, however, Svetina avoids both pitfalls. His reflections also remain sufficiently concrete so as to give young readers a chance to engage in dialogue with the frequently ambiguous poetry that is both playful and serious at the same time. The God in Svetina’s poems does not have the role of the Almighty, the child questions him just as she questions everything around herself. The book presents the wonders of a child’s world, fully captured by warm and playful illustrations by Ana Zavadlav, a renowned Slovenian illustrator with several awards and nominations. Peter Svetina remains one of the best contemporary authors of children’s literature in Slovenia.

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