The latest addition to the Estonian children’s literature is great news for families raising an Estonian-English bilingual child – Piret Raud has written and illustrated a book for children in the age range of five to six years.
Raud is one of the most beloved and unique Estonian children’s book authors – her publications are known for their unique and surreal ideas and charmingly vivid, high-quality illustrations, drawn by the author herself.
“The Ear” is a tale where the protagonist is not just any old, unwashed hearing instrument – but the ear of Vincent Van Gogh, the painter (in)famous for severing part of his own ear.
What has an ear got to do when suddenly finding itself headless? It goes through an identity crisis, searching for a purpose and its place in the world. The story follows the themes of searching for identity, purpose and acceptance.
A visual treat
The book’s illustrations use vivid colour language with a creative approach to reality. The illustrations have a surrealistic approach that simplifies the details but communicates the essence of what is drawn. While similar to the way children would draw, Raud’s illustrations have elaborateness and preciseness about them, creating a visual treat for parents as well as an encouraging inspiration for kids to apply their own creativity.
Estonian children books’ translations are a rare, happy occasion, but to have a case of the author writing and publishing directly in English and with a foreign publisher is even less common.
The hardcover book is now available to order from Amazon and BookDepository.
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Cover: An illustration from “The Ear” by Piret Raud.
