The authoring of children’s poetry about animals has a long tradition, the main representatives of which in Poland were Jan Brzechwa and Julian Tuwim.
Contemporary attempts at tackling this genre seem doomed to repetitiveness: echoing well-known rhymes and casting animals in established roles. Grzegorz Uzdański manages not only to avoid the risk of epigonism, but also to sketch out non-obvious portraits of various animal characters, from hedgehogs to octopuses, that are far from simple cultural stereotypes. The book also resonates with unpretentious tenderness – after all, these are ‘cosy’ poems – and clear respect for young readers. The author does not look down on them or lecture them, but takes on the role of a companion on their early reading journey. Daria Solak’s drawings are equally sensitive, unaffected and non-stereotypical: on the one hand, accessible to young children, and on the other, far from the kitsch that is so often associated with illustrated collections of poems for little ones.
Maciej Skowera, translated by Kate Webster
