The book Ingmar and the Sea by Mari Teede, illustrated by Marja-Liisa Plats, has been selected for the 2025 reading list of the national reading promotion programme “The Jury of Children, Youth and Parents” (Bērnu, jauniešu un vecāku žūrija) in Latvia. This popular and wide-reaching programme fosters reading interest among children and young people while promoting high-quality children’s literature both in Latvia and internationally.
The programme is an initiative of the Children’s Literature Centre of the National Library of Latvia, funded by the Latvian Ministry of Culture. Since its launch in 2001, it has reached all regions of Latvia and, since 2007, Latvian diaspora centres in 30 countries around the world. Every year, the programme involves 17,000 to 20,000 readers – from preschoolers to their grandparents. Participants read books recommended for their age group, rate them, and take part in reading events and competitions.
This year, Estonia is represented by Ingmar and the Sea, a sensitively written and poetically illustrated story about a boy’s connection with the sea, which subtly explores the bond between nature and inner life. The book received third prize in the 2021 children’s story competition organised by the publishing house Tänapäev and was published in 2023.
Being included in the programme brings valuable international recognition to Estonian children’s literature and serves as a meaningful acknowledgment of both the authors and the broader literary scene in Estonia.
More information: www.lasamkoks.lv
