2022 Bologna Children's Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition winner
2021 The White Ravens catalog2021 Tartu Prize for Children’s Literature
Everyone deserves a quiet, restful retirement. But for John, a newly retired classroom skeleton, life is just beginning. When John is adopted by Grams and Gramps and leaves the classroom to live on their farm, every day is an exciting new adventure: John rides in the car for the first time, makes a snow angel, scares away crooks, and becomes a source of comfort for Grams, Gramps, and their grandkids. With delightful illustrations and a charming cast of characters, John the Skeleton is a quirky, touching, and unforgettable book. Triinu Laan thoughtfully weaves aging and death into the fabric of life, crafting a tender portrait of what it means to care for one another, grow old together, and appreciate the little things.
John the Skeleton by Triinu Laan, Adam Cullen, Marja-Liisa Plats
Triinu Laan is a writer, a manager of cultural activities, a mother of five, and loves wild living more than anything else. Laan lives with her three youngest children, mathematician husband, and self-conscious cat in the countryside in Võru County. Their home language is Võro, which is spoken by about 70,000 people, primarily in south Estonia. Her stories convey the understanding that the worlds of adults and children, the living and the dead, and humans and animals are not so different as one may think.
Adam Cullen is a freelance translator of Estonian prose, poetry, and drama. His translations include novels by Mihkel Mutt (The Cavemen Chronicle, nominated for the 2015 Cultural Endowment of Estonia’s Prize for Literary Translation), Rein Raud (The Brother and The Reconstruction, nominated for the 2017 Cultural Endowment of Estonia’s Prize for Literary Translation), Kai Aareleid (Burning Cities), and Tonu Onnepalu (Radio). Cullen’s debut collection of original poetry, Lichen / Samblik, was published in 2017. Originally from Minnesota, he has resided in Estonia since 2007.
Marja-Liisa Plats is an illustrator, graphic designer, photographer, and singer. She graduated from Tartu Art College in photography and is a member of the Young Authors' Association in Tartu and the Tartu Artists' Union. Plats has illustrated more than 40 children’s books and regularly contributes to the children’s magazine Täheke. She has received extensive recognition for her works and has been listed in the White Ravens catalogue three times.ISBN-13: 9781632063700
Publisher: Restless Books
Publication date: 10/01/2024
Pages: 64
Product dimensions: 7.50(w) x 10.06(h) x (d)
Lexile: 890L
Age Range: 5 - 8 YearsYoung Readers - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
Young Readers - Juvenile Fiction | Lifestyles | Country Life
Young Readers - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Death, Grief, Bereavement
Young Readers - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | New Experience-Human skeleton -Older people
-Farm life -Retirement
-Death -Older age
-Picture books- Topical | Death/Dying