Ten Pan

The author draws attention to how easy it is in our everyday hustle and bustle not to see those individuals that don’t fit into our well-organised lives. This context is broadened by Natalia Chirkowska’s illustrations. Delicate, neat watercolours showing parks, streets, birds… It’s only when we examine them more closely that we see fragile human lives portrayed with subtle brushstrokes. Not everyone in these sketches is happy, but in order to see it you have to sharpen your gaze. A homeless man sits on a bench. The only person to take an interest in him is a child. Artur Gębka’s book isn’t only letting young readers into the world of such important social issues as homelessness or social exclusion, it’s also an invitation to take action. In this story, a parent helps a child and together their actions lead to a person in need receiving care and the motivation to change through the realisation that somebody believed in them.