Friday, January 14, 2022

Meet the illustrator Piret Raud from Estonia


I truly enjoy my work. Room for goodness, for humour, and happy endings
can be found in children’s books. It is immensely revitalising and pleasant to
spend a little bit of time every day in a friendly world of my own creation - Piret


Piret Raud is another of the 2022 IBBY Hans Christian Andersen nominees. Her five books submitted to the jury are:  “Lugu väikesest majast, kes tahtis olla kodu” (The Story of the Little House who wanted to be a home), “Kõrv” (The Ear), “Teistmoodi prinysessi-lood” (Princess with a twist), “Juurtega aed” (The rooted garden) and “Tröömmmpfff ehk Eli hääl” (Tröömmmpfff or the Voice of Ellie)

About Piret: Piret Raud was born in 1971 in Tallinn, Estonia. She has studied printmaking at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Since graduating in 1995 she has been living and working in Tallinn as a graphic artist, book illustrator and author. She has illustrated over 50 books, written 21 books for children and 3 novels and a short story collection for adults. Her books have been translated into French, English, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovenian, Croatian, Albanian, Hungarian, Korean and Chinese.

Take a look at the IBBY Hans Christian Andersen dossier written about Piret Raud for the HCAA jurors. Here is her web site

Here are three books by Piret available in English:


You can see art from this book which was an IBBY honour book in 2018 




If I could read French I would like to read this book by Piret Raud - The story of a little house who wanted to be a home. 



In general, people are looking for a house to live in. Here, a small house is looking for an occupant. She is sad to be alone and empty. One day, she turns the roses on her facade into wheels and goes prospecting. "Thank you but no!", answer all the animals she meets. They all already have a house, not always ideal, but it's theirs, and they want to keep it. This gives the opportunity for very pretty and amusing illustrated sequences where the little house is transformed to better seduce a possible inhabitant: cold meats grow in it for the dog, a boat makes it float for the fish, twigs arrange it in a cozy nest for the bird. But the little house has no success. Even Jim the wanderer doesn't want her! Evening is falling and the house is getting sadder and sadder. She even starts to cry. She hears a voice trying to comfort her but sees no one. Another loner full of tears. She will welcome him, this extraordinary inhabitant and they will live wonderfully together. Lu Cie and Co


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