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“What a beautiful book! I'm truly impressed.”—Ellen Elias Bursac,
Independent scholar and award-winning translator |
Awards
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2024 Independent Press Award for:
Picture Books—All Ages Book Cover Design—Children’s |
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2022 CIPA EVVY
(Colorado Independent Publishers Association) awards: Silver in the Children’s Illustration category Silver in the Children’s Cover Design category Bronze in the Children’s Picture Books (Ages 0-5) category |
Book Description
AntonTon is the acclaimed first English translation of the iconic Croatian poem by Grigor Vitez, the father of modern Croatian children’s literature, paired with award-winning illustrations. AntonTon does everything his own way and marches to the beat of his own drum, proving that it’s okay to be different. People like AntonTon make the world richer—after all, many breakthroughs in science, culture, and sports have happened because someone dared to think outside the box.
About Author/Illustrator
Author: Grigor Vitez was one of the most influential children’s writers, and his work remains appealing and significant to both children and adults today. An award recognizing the greatest literary and artistic achievements in children’s literature bears his name.
Translator: Irena Stanić Rašin is a Croatian-American writer, translator, and educator. Her work includes poetry, literary translations, and cultural projects honored with national and international awards.
Illustrator: Tomislav Torjanac is an award-winning Croatian artist and illustrator. Internationally, his best-known work is the 2007 illustrated edition of Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi.
Translator: Irena Stanić Rašin is a Croatian-American writer, translator, and educator. Her work includes poetry, literary translations, and cultural projects honored with national and international awards.
Illustrator: Tomislav Torjanac is an award-winning Croatian artist and illustrator. Internationally, his best-known work is the 2007 illustrated edition of Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi.
Book Reviews
“What a beautiful book! The rhymes work beautifully. I’m truly impressed.”
—Ellen Elias Bursac, independent scholar and award-winning translator
—Ellen Elias Bursac, independent scholar and award-winning translator
“A delightful translation told in rhyme, this story is goofy enough to entertain children and lyrical enough to please adults … The whimsical yet vigorous illustrations are by Tomislav Torjanac, the Croatian artist who may be best known as the winner of a contest to illustrate Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. Rich in detail, the oil paintings help bring AntonTon to life.”
—Cyrisse Jaffee, The Arts Fuse
—Cyrisse Jaffee, The Arts Fuse
“The illustrations are genuine and original, and the English translation seamless. I loved this book!
Five stars!”
—Annie McDonnell, The Write Review
Five stars!”
—Annie McDonnell, The Write Review
Awards
Handygirl Nola Fixes Dad author Silvija Šesto is a recipient of numerous literary awards, including placement on the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honor List for her novel Debela (Fat Girl).
Book Description
This fun and engaging story by Silvija Šesto breathes new life into overlooked vocations, showing kids the value of hands-on work. Curious six-year-old Nola loves helping her handyman dad. When a washing machine floods their apartment, she springs into action—becoming a “handygirl” and fixing more than just the mess. Mila Lončar’s illustrations, crafted entirely from recycled materials, bring the story to life in a visually captivating, eco-friendly way, encouraging young readers to embrace resourcefulness and responsibility.
About Author/Illustrator
Author: Silvija Šesto is a contemporary Croatian writer known for her acclaimed works for both children and adults. Her children’s books are widely read for their universal themes and honest explorations of growing up. A recipient of numerous literary awards, she is one of the most prominent voices in modern Croatian literature.
Translator: Irena Stanić Rašin is a Croatian-American writer, translator, and educator. Her work includes poetry, literary translations, and cultural projects honored with national and international awards.
Illustrator: Mila Lončar’s creative work spans various techniques, including recycled materials, drawing, painting, modeling, and doll-making. She regularly exhibits her art and participates in cultural and educational projects across Croatia.
Translator: Irena Stanić Rašin is a Croatian-American writer, translator, and educator. Her work includes poetry, literary translations, and cultural projects honored with national and international awards.
Illustrator: Mila Lončar’s creative work spans various techniques, including recycled materials, drawing, painting, modeling, and doll-making. She regularly exhibits her art and participates in cultural and educational projects across Croatia.
Book Reviews
“Handygirl Nola is a hit! A hilarious storyline and even more hilarious thoughts from Nola, accompanied by hilarious illustrations (created using 3D modeling!)—it’s the perfect recipe for a laugh-out-loud experience in this picture book by Silvija Šesto.”
—Website Djeco, laku noć (Goodnight, Children)
—Website Djeco, laku noć (Goodnight, Children)
Awards
2018 Independent Publishers of New England Book Award: Finalist
Book Description
This educational and entertaining adaptation of a Croatian nursery rhyme teaches children the importance of courtesy and kindness. In the story, a bossy Hen demands help from people and animals to clean her muddy foot—only to hear “No way!” until she finally discovers the value of humility. Including both the English translation and Croatian original, this folktale-inspired book features a rhythmic, repetitive style that captivates young readers while gently reinforcing lessons in manners.
About Author/Illustrator
Author: Irena Stanić Rašin is a Croatian-American writer, translator, and educator. Her work includes poetry, literary translations, and cultural projects honored with national and international awards.
Illustrator: Ivana Rašin was born into an artistic family, inheriting a love for art from her sculptor father and her aesthetically gifted mother. Her home, located in a picturesque village on the Croatian coast, is filled with her handmade creations, which she also showcases at regional fairs.
Illustrator: Ivana Rašin was born into an artistic family, inheriting a love for art from her sculptor father and her aesthetically gifted mother. Her home, located in a picturesque village on the Croatian coast, is filled with her handmade creations, which she also showcases at regional fairs.
Book Reviews
“Who hasn’t ever been Hen in their life? This book is fabulous to work through with children and even gave me a kick in the butt! The story is an incredible reminder to all (adults and children alike) that we should not take others for granted and should choose kindness and gentleness over harsh commands. While the story and the illustrations are worth every penny, I would recommend an author visit that comes complete with hand made puppets; they are amazing!!!”
—Michelle Goldshlag, CEO Cultured Kids Incorporated
—Michelle Goldshlag, CEO Cultured Kids Incorporated
“When Hen Was on Her Way to Market by Irena Stanic Rasin is based on a popular Croatian folktale about a vain, demanding hen who expects everyone and everything she encounters to assist in her mission of bringing eggs to market. Hen learns some valuable lessons along the way, and eventually realizes she must be polite and kind if she wants help. Humans of all ages can benefit from reading this book, which is told with humor and never crosses the line into preachiness. And the illustrations by Ivana Rasin are wonderful and fun. Finally, while the story is first told in English, the second part of the book retells it—complete with illustrations—with both English and Croatian text.”
—Mary R. Horgan, author
—Mary R. Horgan, author
Awards
2013 Mato Lovrak Award: Best Novel for Young Adults Written in Croatian
Book Description
This imaginative and heartfelt Stone Age tale invites young readers to discover resilience, creativity, and the quiet power of kindness. At its center is Babu, a Neanderthal boy whose boundless imagination sets him apart from his solely survival-focused tribe. Where others see stone only as a tool, Babu sees a canvas. His journey intertwines with a wolf cub named Giro and a curious girl from another village, leading to adventures that test courage and forge unlikely friendships.
About Author/Illustrator
Author: Snježana Babić Višnjić is a Croatian writer and educator known for her engaging children’s and young adult works. She is widely read in schools across Croatia and has received awards for her contributions to literature.
Translator: Irena Stanić Rašin is a Croatian-American writer, translator, and educator. Her work includes poetry, literary translations, and cultural projects honored with national and international awards.
Cover illustrator: Nina Ivanović specializes in graphic product design, illustration, and photography. Her work is mainly focused on book design and layout, as well as creating digital illustrations. Her favorite subjects include animals, plants, bicycles, and vintage-inspired objects.
Translator: Irena Stanić Rašin is a Croatian-American writer, translator, and educator. Her work includes poetry, literary translations, and cultural projects honored with national and international awards.
Cover illustrator: Nina Ivanović specializes in graphic product design, illustration, and photography. Her work is mainly focused on book design and layout, as well as creating digital illustrations. Her favorite subjects include animals, plants, bicycles, and vintage-inspired objects.
Book Reviews
“A humorous, educational adventure through the eyes of a curious boy named Babu.”
—Publisher Mozaik knjiga
—Publisher Mozaik knjiga
“The book caught my attention with its title alone—and it didn’t disappoint. It vividly portrays the life of prehistoric people through Babu’s perspective, with warmth and rich detail, capturing their games, hunting, and everyday challenges.”
—Blog Tragači (Seekers)
—Blog Tragači (Seekers)
Awards
Marina Šur Puhlovski is a prominent Croatian writer whose novel Divljakuša won the prestigious VBZ Literary Award for the Best Unpublished Novel of 2018. The English translation, Wild Woman (translated by Christina Pribicevich Zorić), has received international acclaim.
Book Description
Lyrical and satirical, this adult novel by Marina Šur Puhlovski is a powerful metaphor for Yugoslavian society from 1929 to the late 1980s. Blending humor with biting political critique, it explores love, corruption, and betrayal through vivid characters and poetic storytelling—a haunting portrait of a fractured time and people.
About Author/Illustrator
Author: Marina Šur Puhlovski is a Croatian writer and essayist, known for her novels, short stories, and essays that often explore themes of identity, society, and the female experience. She has received numerous awards and is a leading voice in contemporary Croatian literature.
Translator: Graham McMaster is an award-winning English writer and scholar with a PhD in English language and literature. His work spans translation, journalism, and literary criticism.
Cover illustrator: Zlatko Prica (1916-2003) was a renowned Croatian painter and academician, celebrated for his vibrant use of color and distinctive style that bridged expressionism and modernism. His work spans painting, illustration, and mural art, often inspired by folklore, social themes, and Mediterranean motifs. Over his prolific career, Prica became one of the centra figures of 20th-century Croatian art, leaving a lasting mark on both national and international art scenes.
Translator: Graham McMaster is an award-winning English writer and scholar with a PhD in English language and literature. His work spans translation, journalism, and literary criticism.
Cover illustrator: Zlatko Prica (1916-2003) was a renowned Croatian painter and academician, celebrated for his vibrant use of color and distinctive style that bridged expressionism and modernism. His work spans painting, illustration, and mural art, often inspired by folklore, social themes, and Mediterranean motifs. Over his prolific career, Prica became one of the centra figures of 20th-century Croatian art, leaving a lasting mark on both national and international art scenes.
Book Reviews
“The Trojan Mare is a novel woven with carefully crafted symbols, and it can be read as a modern fairy tale—one that suggests the importance of preserving a ‘sense of confusion’. Its strength lies in the subtle universality of its themes: the stories it tells are, at their core, reflections of human nature and experiences that resonate across cultures and generations.”
—Ana Grbac, editor
—Ana Grbac, editor
“The Trojan Mare is a dense, layered novel, packed with individual lives compressed like soldiers inside the iconic symbol its title evokes. By inverting the gender of the metaphor in the very title, Marina Šur Puhlovski signals her intent: to explore how vitalthe phrase is in literature—not just to guard against banality, but also to preserve clarity. With subtle irony, she critiques prevailing modes of thinking, writing, and perceiving. Refusing to follow the crowd—or as she puts it, to ‘stand on the Heap, become the Heap’—Šur Puhlovski writes against imposed norms, both intellectual and creative.”
—Jadranka Pintarić, writer and literary critic
—Jadranka Pintarić, writer and literary critic
Awards
In 2014, Pandora’s Box on Sale author Barbara Bazdarić, who is also a dedicated and accomplished educator, received a national award for her project “GESTA” (“GESTURE”), honored as Croatia’s Best Creative and Innovative Educational Program.
Book Description
This adult poetry collection by Barbara Baždarić is a bold lyrical odyssey into the struggle between self and world. With witty humor and vivid imagery, the heroine rejects externally imposed identities and resists a world portrayed as tyrant and tormentor. Baždarić grounds her verse in lived experience, turning self-reflection into a weapon of defiance.
About Author/Illustrator
Author and translator: Barbara Baždarić is a Croatian poet, translator, and educator. She has published several poetry collections, and her work has been featured in literary journals and anthologies in Croatia and beyond.
Cover illustrator: Hrvoje Marko Peruzović is a Croatian artist and graphic designer. He expresses his artistic vision through various media—painting, graphics, illustration, sculpture, photography—and even poetry. His work blends drawing and color, the earthly and cosmic, the external and internal, and the universal and intimate, as well as imaginative ideas inspired by mythology, history, philosophy, religion, and pop culture.
Cover illustrator: Hrvoje Marko Peruzović is a Croatian artist and graphic designer. He expresses his artistic vision through various media—painting, graphics, illustration, sculpture, photography—and even poetry. His work blends drawing and color, the earthly and cosmic, the external and internal, and the universal and intimate, as well as imaginative ideas inspired by mythology, history, philosophy, religion, and pop culture.
Book Reviews
“The image of Pandora’s box functions as a symbolic anchor within the Greek mythological framework of world creation and the timeless struggle between good and evil. In this collection, the myth of hope—metonymically tied to the notion of good—emerges as a recurring leitmotif. Its placement within humorous and ironic contexts adds a layer of interpretative richness, allowing the text to oscillate between lightness and philosophical depth. Beneath the surface wit, however, lies a quiet undercurrent of wistfulness and melancholy, subtly revealed through the lyrical heroine’s inner journey.”
—Tin Lemac, poet and literary critic
—Tin Lemac, poet and literary critic
“This book is unapologetically philosophical: there is no space for sentimental rambling—emotions here serve as a path toward the essence of being, which is light. In Barbara’s poetry, Zaum is not a gesture of absurdity, but a means of articulating truth through the enchantment of poetic language. The tension between the individual andthe universal, the one and the whole, permeates the entire collection. Traces of philosophical thought—from Parmenides and the Biblical Ecclesiastes to Franciscus Patricius and Marijan Cipra—can be found woven into the fabric of these poems. Yet, poetry requires no interpretation, for it is, in itself, an act of interpretation.”
—Marina Katinić Pleić, poet and literary critic
—Marina Katinić Pleić, poet and literary critic
Awards
In November 2015, One Thousands and One Seas author Marina Katinić Pleić received the “Anđelko Novaković” Award from the National and University Library Foundation in Zagreb for the Best Unpublished Poetry Collection by an Author Under the Age of 35, for her work Ptica na ušću smoga (Bird at the Smog Estuary).
Book Description
Marina Katinić Pleić offers a vivid exploration of the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, and Croatia in this adult poetry book. Her poems, rich in detail and sensory experience, strikingly capture the sea’s shifting moods. The collection invites readers to see the sea anew—as a timeless, ever-changing space of imagination. Stunning illustrations by Petra Ćurlin wonderfully complement the 81 poems.
About Author/Illustrator
Author: Marina Katinić Pleić is an award-winning Croatian poet and scholar with a PhD in philosophy and Croatian language and literature. She is the author of several poetry collections and a member of the Croatian Writers’ Association.
Translator: Marko Maras is a Croatian translator who has translated over a hundred fiction and non-fiction works from English into Croatian. His portfolio includes major authors such as George Bernard Shaw, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, John Updike, and Margaret Atwood.
Illustrator: Petra Ćurlin is a Croatian poet, translator, and illustrator, as well as a radio editor and host. Her multidisciplinary work bridges literature, visual art, and audio media, reflecting a deep commitment to creative expression across forms.
Translator: Marko Maras is a Croatian translator who has translated over a hundred fiction and non-fiction works from English into Croatian. His portfolio includes major authors such as George Bernard Shaw, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, John Updike, and Margaret Atwood.
Illustrator: Petra Ćurlin is a Croatian poet, translator, and illustrator, as well as a radio editor and host. Her multidisciplinary work bridges literature, visual art, and audio media, reflecting a deep commitment to creative expression across forms.
Book Reviews
“This is a book about the Mediterranean, Croatia, and the Adriatic through the keyhole of the Mediterranean, everywhere where the author’s poetic view reaches, and beyond to the open sea where this excellent poetry thickens on the edge of the horizon. Careful in details and open to all senses and experiences, with a great love for the vague, changing in the tonalities of tides and ebbs, the author opens a thousand and one seas before us. The sea is today, as it was yesterday, and as it will be tomorrow. The permeation of fine art and poetry is exceptional; the stunning illustrations by Petra Ćurlin have transformed these 81 poems into a rarely-seen visual experience. ”
—Tomica Bajsić, writer, editor, and literary critic
—Tomica Bajsić, writer, editor, and literary critic