Drahomíra Tišerová (86) from the village of Otnice near Slavkov u Brno became a real fairy-tale grandmother a long time ago. At the time when she and her grandson told each other poems about animals. “We always discussed what kind of animal it would be about, agreed on what and how it should be. He always gave the initiative and I wrote it,” revealed Mrs. Drahomírand the very beginnings of naughty nursery rhymes. The grandson grew up, but the leaves with poems remained in the drawer. “I wanted to leave something behind when I’m not here,” said the author, why she finally picked up the phone and dialed the number of the publisher to whom she offered the manuscript.
“It’s rare that we get such a bounty of handwritten poems. We thought it would be nice to make someone’s dream come true,” Kateřina Valterová told Blesk, spokesman for Knih Dobrovský, thanks to whom the book is in the world. “I’m happy… How else can I tell you? She’s beautiful, you can’t help but be happy,” the author enjoys the success of her short stories. “The time spent with a book is the best,” concluded Mrs. Tišerová, who herself in her childhood loved, for example, Lad’s books full of pictures of children’s games, but also of pub fights.
Bright and tender illustrations were created in record time by Kristýna Pýchová. | Drobek, Kristýna Pýchová
One book, two firsts
Not only for the author of the poems, the book is a first, which proves that people should follow their dreams regardless of age. Just as important as the letters are the images in this collection. Mischievous, colorful, playful and self-explanatory. Kristýna Pýchová created them as her first published work. Four dozen pictures in two months! “I like it very much and I would be happy if she could illustrate other books about nature,” wishes the artist Mrs. Tišerová to make her dream full of crayons come true.
Age is just a number? Yes!
Květa Legátová (†93, real name Věra Hofmanová) proved that it is not impossible to become a writer even at an older age and to succeed. Although writing was one of her passions throughout her life, she became known to most readers only at the age of 82, when her books Želary were published (2001, awarded with the State Prize for Literature) and Jozova Hanule (2002). Based on that, the film Želary (2003) was created, which won a number of awards, including an Oscar nomination.
You know that… • …has the title of the most read children’s book in the world been held by the Harry Potter saga for many years? Among the Czech ones, the classics are at the top – Foglarovky, Čtyřlístek and, for example, Jiří Trnka’s Garden.
