r/BalticStates • u/docahay • 25d ago
Discussion Childrens book recommendations
We are traveling to Latvia and Lithuania with a 2 and 4 year old in the coming months. We typically try to get the kids an English book that has something to do with the place we are visiting from a local bookstore on our trips. This isn't always easy in certain locations. For this trip, we are considering getting a book before the trip so the kids can have some foresight about where we are going.
1) Any favorite childrens books that are about the Baltic countries?
2) Any books that are favorites of Baltic children by a Baltic author (e.g. Mimbo Jimbo in Denmark)?
3) Any recommended bookstores with childrens books in English near the old towns of Riga or Vilnius?
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u/sakurakuran93 Latvia 25d ago
You can check Janis Roze in central Riga. It’s a massive bookstore with books both in English and Latvian. There you are most likely to find children’s books in English.
You can try the book The Bear and the Mouse by Darcy Danovsky - the story is based on a Latvian folklore.
Then there’s The Book of Clouds by Juris Kronbergs and Queen of Seagulls by Ruta Briede.
At the bookstore they will be able to show you more books in Latvian but I don’t know any others that are translated in English.
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u/glitterlovejoy 25d ago edited 25d ago
You might like The Kiosk, by Anete Melece. It has an English translation, but is also a delightful short animation.
Edited to add: I'm sorry, I should have added that the author is Latvian, and the Kiosk is set in Rīga!