Ilze Skrastiņa “What Are You Doing? Nothing!”

A book for primary school children and their parents.

Freedom for Summer Break!

Are you one of those particularly conscientious parents who believe that children must be occupied “meaningfully” during summer break, with a strictly planned schedule of camps, training, French lessons, and piano practice? You should definitely read Ilze Skrastiņa’s third book about the adventures of primary schooler Miks. It tells the story of a young person’s adventure-filled life during the holidays, and the title is suggestively significant – “What Are You Doing? Nothing!”.

Ilze Skrastiņa’s first book – “Great Life Without Zoom” – was nominated for the 2022 “Children, Youth and Parents’ Jury,” while the second – “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.”

What is this book about? Summer break has arrived, and Miks continues to get into funny and strange situations, which the author describes with her signature warm-hearted humor. Contrary to parents’ ideas of “meaningful use of free time,” the best thing about summer break is being able to “do nothing.” However, just like other children, Miks spends his break meeting friends, going to the movies, fishing, and spending time with his family, getting into strange, silly, and even completely crazy situations—but everything always ends well. Furthermore, at the end of the book, there is a small secret that only those who read the book will be able to decode. Freedom for summer break!