DUSZAN

   "Duszan" written by Antonina Todorović is a book that caught my attention when I was looking at the list of "10 books that are worth taking on holiday with a child" published by Newsweek. The mysterious title and the amazing cover with an old house and a bear encircling the top of it convinced me to buy that book. Soon it was in my hands. The hard cover, the yellowed pages and many beautiful illustrations by Dorota Wojciechowska confirmed that I made the right choice.

   Duszan and Janek are brothers who live in the city. Their parents work a lot and they rarely spend time with them. Right at the beginning of the summer, the boys go to their grandmother, who lives in the countryside. Zalesie turns out to be a magical place that allows them to have extraordinary adventures. They meet Mr Śmiejko, who is a good friend of their grandmother. He lives deep in the wood and is taking care of sick animals. He helps the boys to build a small wooden house. Janek learns how to ride a donkey and Duszan becomes friends with a grey wolf. They find the lake from Duszan's dream where the time passes very slowly and also meet the Silver Bear who makes the time go faster. 

   When I reached to the end of the book I felt slight degree of disappointment. The story had everything to make it special but I felt that something was missing. The characters were as they should be, the adventures were interesting but somehow they didn't move my heart the way I expected. Despite my negative feelings I believe the book is worth reading as it touches on important subjects such as raising children. Parents should spend more time with their children, support them in their interests and talk about their feelings.

"Duszan" by Antonina Todorović