A Nostalgic Read for Adults - And I'm Not Just Kidding!

I have to admit, I was never a huge fan of Estonian author Eno Raud growing up, but that all changed when two friends of mine started reminiscing about his book with a mix of nostalgia and excitement. They were both raving about the adventures of a little rag doll named Sipsik, and I had to see what all the fuss was about.

Eno Raud (born February 15, 1928, in Estonia – died July 9, 1996) was an Estonian children's writer, best known for his book 'Mufka, Polbotinka, and Mokhovaya Bородka', which was a classic in Russia.

As a kid, I found the stories about Mufka, Polbotinka, and Mokhovaya Bородka to be a bit dull, and the characters hard to understand. The animated movies based on the book, directed by Avo Paistik, seemed a bit surreal and unsettling to me.

Avo Paistik (April 21, 1936 – December 3, 2013) was an Estonian and Soviet cartoonist, artist, screenwriter, and animator.

He was a winner of international festivals in Madrid (1983) and Stuttgart (1986).

My kids might have skipped over this author if it weren't for those two friends of mine who, independently of each other, reminisced about the book with a mix of nostalgia and excitement, talking about Sipsik. So, as soon as the book became available, I decided I had to read it.

The book I ended up with was published by Rosmen in 2014, with illustrations by Herman Ogorodnikov, whose style I remembered from my childhood, thanks to the book 'The Festival of Disobedience'. I was curious about the book's design, especially since it's part of the 'Ta Samaya Knizhka' series from publisher Rosmen. The books in this series all have the same cover design – a mock rope binding with a small label that says 'Ta Samaya Knizhka'. It's a pretty cool touch.

The 'Ta Samaya Knizhka' series by Rosmen includes:

Yuriy Druzhkov 'The Adventures of Pencil and Tinkerer'

Edgar Walter 'Poki'

Arkady Gaidar 'Timur and His Team'

M. Fadieva, A. Smirnov 'The Adventures of Petrushka'

Pamela Travers 'Mary Poppins from the Cherry Street'

S. Sakharnov 'Fairy Tales from the Traveling Suitcase'

V. Vorobyev 'Capricious'

X. Behlerova 'The House under the Chestnut Tree'

The book has a big format (20.5 x 26.5 cm) with a hard cardboard cover that's partially lacquered. The font is large, and the illustrations are super bright and colorful.

The book has only 48 pages, but it's packed with 12 short stories about a little rag doll named Sipsik. The doll was made by an older brother for his little sister, and it only comes to life in the hands of its owner.

There are also some scenes that might be hard for most modern kids to understand. Like when the kid makes a TV out of a toy box.

The book is aimed at kids in the middle preschool age range. In my opinion, kids a bit older or in elementary school might find it a bit too simple.

My 4- and 6-year-old readers didn't really connect with the stories about Sipsik. We read the book a few times, but it didn't really grab their attention. I think this book would be more interesting for readers in their middle age who might have read it when they were kids and associate it with their childhood.