The Estonian author Juhani Püttsepp and the Latvian illustrator Gundega Muzikante and translator Marika Muzikante were awarded the renowned Latvian children’s literature award Jānis Baltvilksi prize (Jāņa Baltvilka balva) for the Latvian translation of their children’s novel The Moon is Like a Golden Boat. The award ceremony was held on the birthday of the children’s author Jānis Baltvilks (1944–2003) on June 24th in the Riga Botanical Gardens.
The award is one of the most important literary prizes for children’s books in Latvia and it was established in 2005. First, the award was given only to Latvian writers and illustrators but since 2008 it also recognizes the work of other Baltic authors and translators that mediate their work in Latvian.
The Moon is Like a Golden Boat (Ir mēness zelta kuģis) was inspired by the family history of the author and it speaks about Estonians fleeing the country and escaping to Sweden in the autumn of 1944. The plot is narrated through the perspective of a child and always considers the small reader as the target audience. The book has also received multiple awards (Annual Children’s Literature Award of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia; Raisin of the Year Award) in Estonia and been warmly welcomed by our Southern Neighbors.
