Krtek A Vánoce Illustrated by Zdeněk Miler

Written by Hana Doskočilová and illustrated by Zdeněk Miler, Krtek A Vánoce, is a Czech children’s book written about a little mole who is named Krtek, who is very famous in The Czech Republic. The first film from then called Czechoslovakia was called Jak krtek ke kalhotkám přišel (or How the mole got his trousers...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

November 28, 2016

Retro Czech Toys As Seen on Instagram

Retro Czech Toys As Seen on Instagram is an idea that came to me this morning because Thanksgiving is over and so is Black Friday, thank goodness, and the shopping madness has finally stopped. (By the way, we never partake in the madness.) I can’t count how many advertisements I have received regarding toys this...

NOSTALGIA, Retro Chic

November 25, 2016

The Wood Fairy – A Czech Fairy Tale

Today we’re sharing a story from a book entitled Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Czechoslovakia. This particular story is called The Wood Fairy. The Czech story is retold by Virginia Haviland. We have the first edition from 1966 and just love the illustrations by Trina S. Hyman. Once upon a time there was a little...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

October 27, 2016

Czech Dolls in Traditional Folk Dress

I remember when I was young, anyone who visited then called Czechoslovakia always brought me and my sister back Czech dolls in traditional folk dress and national costumes. At one time, we each must have had twenty representations of our Czech heritage in the form of colorful kroje and ribbons. The dolls all had something...

NOSTALGIA, Retro Chic

February 27, 2016

Prince Bayaya – A Czech Fairy Tale

Prince Bayaya (Bajaja in Czech) is a classic tale told at bedtime in many households. It was written by the famous Božena Němcová (February 4, 1820 – January 21, 1862) who was a Czech writer of the final phase of the Czech National Revival movement. This version features illustrations by Karel Franta (born May 1928). Franta is both...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

February 12, 2016

The Apple Maiden

The Apple Maiden or Apple Tree Maid is known as Jabloňová Panna in Czech. It is a Czech fairy tale as told by Karel Jaromír Erben. The illustrations are from my book entitled Pohadky with a copyright date of 1979. The following plates are illustrations from the story by Eva Šedivá. She was born in Prague in 1934....

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

February 1, 2016

Three White Roses

The following illustrations for Three White Roses are created by the very talented Zdeňka Krejčová (b. 1944). The story is by Beneš Metod Kulda (1820 – 1903). A translation of the folk tale will be forthcoming, but for now here are some lovely illustrations. Three White Roses Collecting the roses. Three beautiful girls. Beneš was a patriotic priest,...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

January 15, 2016

When I Grow Up…

What are you going to be when you grow up? Well, in 1960 in Czechoslovakia, you had some interesting choices as we can see by these lovely illustrations from the very talented illustrator Luděk Vimr ( July 5, 1921 – 9 November 2005 ). Ludek was a Czech painter , graphic artist and illustrator . He...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

January 8, 2016

Fairy Tales from the Mushroom Forest

Fairy Tales from the Mushroom Forest is a small pamphlet style book that was sent to me when it came out on 1978. In Czech, the title is Pohádky z houbového lesa written by Ljuba Štíplováand illustrated by Zdeňka Krejčová (b. 1944), who also illustrated Three White Roses. It is a sweet story about forest folk and their...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

November 29, 2015

As You Wish

Co pán poroučí translates to “What Lord Commands”, but I would translate this Czech story to As You Wish. The story is written by Josef Štefan Kubin (October 7, 1864 – Nov. 25, 1965). He was a high school teacher, folklorist, collector of folk stories and fairy tales, ethnographer, dialectician, literary journalist and writer. The story...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

October 28, 2015

My Czech Wooden Picture Cubes

Who else grew up playing with Czech wooden picture cubes? I confess, my wooden picture cubes were the best. I mean, the best of the best. As a child I remember playing with these wooden blocks almost every day. I never used them just as the puzzle that they were. I used them to build castles and towers, villages...

LIFESTYLE

October 18, 2015

Rumcajs the Little Bandit of the Forest

Growing up I loved a little woodsman named Loupežník Rumcajs. (Rumcajs the Little Bandit of the Forest). He’s a fairytale character of many bedtime stories of Czech children. He starts out as a cobbler in the city of Jičin but he insults the mayor Humpál by making shoes that do not fit properly so he is...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

Miroslav Sasek - This Is Books-Book-Series-Tres-Bohemes

October 7, 2015

This is the World in 19 Design Classics

A vacation in Paris inspired Bohemian Miroslav Sasek to create children’s travel guides to big cities around the world. The guides are large, colorful books done in his fantastic watercolor style and are an awesome historical record of the attitudes and perceptions of the 60s. These lovely 19 design classics feature illustration at its best. Miroslav Šašek (this is...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

September 29, 2015

The Art of Czech Marionettes

A marionette is a type of puppet which is controlled by a marionettist from above using wires and strings. There are different kinds of marionettes such as Burmese, Czech, and Sicilian. Czech marionettes are among the most complex. They are hand carved from lime wood and have a rod which runs through the body and into the head....

LIFESTYLE, Shopping