Grzegorz Kasdepke

(b. 1972) – one of the most popular contemporary children’s authors in Poland, a screenwriter and journalist.

He was the editor-in-chief of the cult children’s magazine, “Świerszczyk”, for many years. His oeuvre combines education and entertainment, including a detective series (“Detektyw Pozytywka” – Detective Musicbox), family cycles (Kacperiada, Kuba i Buba), works about emotions (“Wielka księga uczuć” – The Great Book of Feelings, “Kocha, lubi, szanuje…” – Likes Me, Likes Me Not…), educational humour (“Co to znaczy…” – What Does It Mean…, “Bon czy ton” – Bon or Ton), as well as books popularising the law and moral values (“Mam prawo…” – I Have the Right…, “Inżynier Ciućma” – Engineer Klutz, “Poradnik hodowcy aniołów” – A Manual for Angel-Keepers).

The book Detective Musicbox teaches logical thinking and shows that even small problems can be solved with humour and cleverness.

Kacperiada… depicts the adventures of clever Kacper, showing the world from the child’s perspective – his ideas, pranks and feelings. It’s also a story about family, children’s imagination and the joy of discovering the everyday.

The book Bon or Ton. Savoir-vivre for Children is a light-hearted and amusing guide to the principles of good manners. Its message is that politeness and grace are not only necessary, but also a way to have good and lasting relationships with others.

The book What Does It Mean… 101 Funny Stories uses short, witty anecdotes to explain the meanings of popular sayings. It develops children’s linguistic skills and shows that the Polish language can be very vivid and humorous.

The publication “A ja nie chcę być księżniczką” (I Don’t Want to Be a Princess) introduces little Marysia who rebels against stereotypes and proves that girls can be brave and independent. It is a story about willpower and the freedom to choose.

The short story collection The Great Book of Feelings helps children understand and name key emotions, such as joy, anger or sadness. The book supports emotional development and teaches empathy in everyday situations.

Such versatile creative output makes Grzegorz Kasdepke’s work attractive both to publishers and translators, which means it can reach a wide range of young readers. As an author of bestsellers for children Kasdepke combines a light style with a profound understanding of a child’s psyche. He does not avoid difficult topics in his work – he can speak about emotions, relationships and responsibility, but he does it with straightforwardness, humour and respect for his young readers.

Grzegorz Kasdepke is the laureate of many awards and distinctions, among them the award from the Polish Section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in the Book of the Year category (2001), distinction from Polish Section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in the Bestseller of the Year category (2001), the Kornel Makuszyński Literary Award (2002), the Edukacja XXI Award sponsored by International Paper Polska (2003), the Edukacja XXI Award sponsored by International Paper Polska (2004), the Best Book of the Year award in the children’s literature category in Wirtualna Polska’s poll (2006), the Filip Kallimach Award (2015), title of the Ambassador of the Polish Language in Children’s and Young Adult Literature (2017), the Badge of Honor for Merit in the Protection of Children’s Rights (2018), the Złota Żyrafka (Golden Giraffe) award at the City of Stars Interdisciplinary Arts Festival (2020), an award for the best book of the past two decades awarded by the ABCXXI All of Poland Reads to Kids Foundation (2021), a star at the Avenue of Literary Stars of the Municipal Public Library in Mińsk Mazowiecki (2022).