“Jekh, duj, trin” (one, two, three in Romani) is a story about a young Romani girl Vaneska getting ready for her first year of school. Throughout the year, she lets us see moments from her everyday life — at home, with her family, during different traditions, and through both summer and winter experiences.
The book is large and fold-out, which gave me space to build rich, detailed scenes. Each spread includes its own set of activities, short poems, songs, or riddles, often in both Czech and Romani. It’s designed mainly for pre-schoolers, giving children a place to explore, talk about what they see, and return to the pages again and again.
The project was developed in close collaboration with people working in education. They see it as a helpful tool for developing vocabulary, logical thinking, fine motor skills, and for introducing social and cultural context in a natural way.
For Romani children, it can also support a sense of identity and confidence — something we considered an important part of the project.
The book was written by Eva Danišová, illustrated by Matej Ilčík, and the graphic design was created by Zuzana Stollar Didová.
Published in 2024 by Kher publishing
A book cover with my illustrations designed by Zuzana Stollar Didová
"Hi, I’m Vaneska, and this is my room. Only half of it is mine — the rest is my big brother Dominik’s. But I have so many toys that he sometimes complains there’s nowhere left for him, haha.”
“…and this is the house where I live with my family. It may not be fancy, but it’s a really friendly place. There are always people outside — chatting, singing, and kids everywhere, running and jumping.”
“…and this is my lovely family! My dad, Jožka, my mom, Běta, and Dominik — you already know him. We always eat dinner together, and right now Mom is serving a Romani dish called pišot.”
“…and this is my family reunion! We had a big party to celebrate my newborn sister, Ivetka. Family came from everywhere — even from England! I forgot to tell you — we live in the Czech Republic, so that’s a really long trip just to see her!”
“We Romanis love to dance and eat a lot! We’re always full of joy, and there’s never a dull moment when we get together.”
“And here I am, visiting my future school! I’m really excited, but I have to admit… it makes me a little bit nervous too, haha!”
“There were other kids too, and Mrs. Teacher was very kind. She even said she’s looking forward to seeing me!”
“But I’m still a pre-schooler! Here’s my class on a trip to the farm. The boys didn’t behave very well, but it was so much fun. There were lots of animals, and we even got to pet them!”
“Lots and lots and lots of animals! Goats, cows, sheep, little piggies, and rabbits running all around.”
“And suddenly, it was summer! I love summer because we go to the pool with my grandma and cousins. I’m learning to swim, and when I get hungry, Grandma always has a snack ready for us.”
“There are lots of people! Some I know from my neighborhood. The boys are jumping into the pool, the older kids are talking and laughing, and it’s always a fun day at the pool.”
“Time flies! I’m a first grader now! I have new friends, and I’m so happy to learn new things every day.”
“Christmas time! The whole family is together again. My little sister Ivetka is a bit older now, and she’s even started talking!”
“My first year of school went by so quickly! But in June, there’s a Children’s Day festival in the park. There are lots of fun activities, and even face painting!”
“And a jumping castle with a slide! I can’t stop. I slide down, run, do a few big jumps, and climb up to slide again… and again… and again! And I’m not the only one — all the kids are doing it too.”
Illustrator’s Note:
As the illustrator, I had the chance to bring Vaneska’s world to life across large, fold-out pages. Each chapter became a small adventure in itself, full of little details to explore. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun, and I’m happy that readers and educators have enjoyed the book and that it was even shortlisted as one of the best children’s books in the Czech Republic.