Children’s and Young Adult, Comics, Prose

This little book with four different colour alternatives of the cover contains, despite its inconspicuous appearance, a very colourful novelette in letters. The exchange takes place between a grandpa called Thomas, who spends a long time in hospital, and his granddaughter Katie, and summarises the girl’s year-long stay with eleven “grandmas”. The vibrant lifestyles and parlance of these sometimes close, sometimes completely accidental caretakers brings to life a whole array of surprising situations, soliciting both humour and some thorough consideration. The differences between the urban and rural environments are further intensified by the young girl’s unbridled imagination and the postcards she sends. The story begins and ends with the girl’s double performance on the piano – her passion, which she is finally able to pursue in her new family. Alžběta Skálová’s illustrations underline the childlike expressive quality of the drawings and collages.