Ilze Skrastiņa “The Great Life Without Zoom”

A book for primary school children and their parents.

Great Life Without Zoom

Ilze Skrastiņa’s first book, “Great Life Without Zoom,” which was nominated for the 2022 “Children, Youth and Parents’ Jury,” has been re-released. Meanwhile, her second book – “How’s School? Normal” – received the 2023 “Pastariņš Prize.” These books, which are hard to read without a smile, are already dearly loved by children and parents alike; the author is frequently invited to meet her readers in Latvian libraries. Both of the first two books have also enjoyed repeat radio-play broadcasts on Latvian Radio Theater.

Ilze Skrastiņa’s books about Miks and his friends are ideal for engaging those primary schoolers who don’t want to read at all or read very little. Short, fast-paced, humor-filled stories, plenty of funny illustrations, and events that every Latvian child and parent can relate to. By profession, Ilze is an animator who worked at the “Dauka” studio for many years and participated in the creation of many beloved animated films (“The Cat’s Mill,” “Fantadroms,” “The Sun Rode into the Sky”). She discovered her writing talent as a screenwriter for the films “Unusual Rigans,” “Little Doggie,” and “Rainbow.”

The idea for writing books came to Ilze while watching her four children grow up. The author says: “Almost all the events described in the books are true—perhaps a bit embellished and dramatized, but real. I participated in them both as a mom and as an observer. I listened carefully to my children’s stories about their school days and quietly laughed at how big the problems can be in small things.”