Czech Fairytale – The Bird of Happiness

Today we are looking at an old Czech fairytale – The Bird of Happiness, or in Czech, Pták štěstí. It is an old Chod tale. I will first present actual scans of the book, then the text of the story, and finally, at the very end, a link to a pdf file which you may...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

July 1, 2022

Pexeso A Czech Memory Game

Czech children love to play pexeso. Pexeso is a memory game and it really is a great family card game because you can play it with a regular pack of cards, or with picture cards that your child might like. The best part of this game is that younger players are often able to compete...

ENTERTAINMENT, Prague

February 24, 2020

Czech Fairy Tales in Advertising

During the First Republic, when shopping at the grocery store, children would receive a short fairy-tale pamphlet as part of selecting specific merchandise. These were usually printed on double-sheets with color illustrations. Usually the first page contained a picture with the name of the fairy tale, the inner part then had the text and an...

Childrens Books

February 12, 2020

The Fabulous Lost and Found and the Little Czech Mouse

A wonderful new book was brought to my attention and I believe it’s perfect for those who want to teach kids Czech. Not only is the story fun and the illustrations adorable, but there is an awesome science behind it that you”ll be happy to learn about today. This book a part of a groundbreaking...

Childrens Books, LIFESTYLE

May 25, 2019

Learning About the Czech Alphabet

One of our favorite Czech alphabet works were published as an “experimental textbook” that most remember as school posters entitled, Živá abeceda (pokusná učebnice) (Living Alphabet), published by the State Pedagogical Publishing House in 1954. Živá abeceda was created as a collective and featured the talents of Jarmila Hřebejková, Irena Fabianová, Anna Šimanová; illustrated by...

Childrens Books

November 9, 2018

All About Doggie and Pussycat: A Czech Classic of Children’s Literature

All About Doggie and Pussycat: How They Kept House and All Sorts of Other Things As Well (Czech: Povídání o pejskovi a kočičce: Jak spolu hospodařili a ještě o všelijakých jiných věcech) is a charming Czech children’s book about a dog and a cat who live together in a house and wish to do everything...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

January 21, 2018

Fairytale Ax Soup Recipe from Honza Málem Králem

You know we love sharing Czech recipes and today we’re sharing another from a Czech pohádka (fairytale) movie called Honza Málem Králem (How Honza Almost Became a King). Czech and Czechoslovak fairytale films, known locally as pohádky are especially popular during the holidays. This specific fairytale soup is called Sekyrková polévka (Ax soup). I have elaborated a bit, added...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies, Recipes

November 25, 2017

Czech Puppets Make a Worldwide Debut

Today’s post comes to us from an article originally written by Jacqueline Ruyak. The article appeared in the August 1996 issue of Doll World magazine. Unfortunately, I tried to search the company but to no avail. Does anyone have an update on Rezek Marionettes? Dating to medieval times, modern puppeteers keep Czech tradition alive with...

NOSTALGIA, Time Warp

October 25, 2017

Czechoslovak Armored Car from WWII Skoda Panzerwagen II Turtle

Czech Master Kits, more commonly known as CMK, has been one of the Czech Republic’s contributions to modeling since the mid-1990s. Originally it focused on production of resin cast kits but later production expanded and a range of resin detail accessories, detail sets, white metal accessories together with modelers’ tools and aids was introduced. In...

History, NOSTALGIA

August 12, 2017

Otakar Štáfl Takes Us To The Moon and Beyond

Otakar Štáfl was born on December 30, 1884 in Havlíčkův Brod. Located in the medieval town fortifications of Havlíčkův Brod is a bastion, which today bears the name of Otakar Štáfla. He had his studio on the premises. He did not finish grammar school and headed straight for Prague where he was admitted to the...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

June 8, 2017

The 6th Annual Conference of Czech Schools in North America

This past weekend (Friday, June 2, to Sunday, June 4, 2017), we were able to attend a few sessions of the 6th Annual Conference of Czech Schools in North America. This years conference was hosted by the Czech School of Atlanta Honoring Karel Velan and the conference organizer is a division of the Czech North America Chamber...

Czech Schools, PLACES

January 10, 2017

Czechoslovakian Folk Toys by Emanuel Hercík

The book Československé lidové hračky (Czechoslovakian Folk Toys) by Emanuel Hercík was truly a labor of love. He worked on this project for over 30 years and as you look at the illustrations, you can see his passion in each pen stroke. Hercík was born in Komárov on September 5, 1892 and died in Brno on March 8,...

LIFESTYLE

December 28, 2016

The Twelve Months – A Czech Fairy Tale

Twelve Months (O dvanácti měsíčkách) is a Czech story that dates back to the 14th-century and is attributed to Mistr Klaret. At that time and through many centuries after, it served as an exemplum, or a moralizing story. Mistr Klaret, Latin Magister Bartholomaeus de Bohemarius Solencia Dictus Claretus own name Bartholomew of Chlumec, also called Master Claret...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

December 7, 2016

Krtek A Vánoce Illustrated by Zdeněk Miler

Written by Hana Doskočilová and illustrated by Zdeněk Miler, Krtek A Vánoce, is a Czech children’s book written about a little mole who is named Krtek, who is very famous in The Czech Republic. The first film from then called Czechoslovakia was called Jak krtek ke kalhotkám přišel (or How the mole got his trousers...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

November 28, 2016

Retro Czech Toys As Seen on Instagram

Retro Czech Toys As Seen on Instagram is an idea that came to me this morning because Thanksgiving is over and so is Black Friday, thank goodness, and the shopping madness has finally stopped. (By the way, we never partake in the madness.) I can’t count how many advertisements I have received regarding toys this...

NOSTALGIA, Retro Chic

November 25, 2016

The Wood Fairy – A Czech Fairy Tale

Today we’re sharing a story from a book entitled Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Czechoslovakia. This particular story is called The Wood Fairy. The Czech story is retold by Virginia Haviland. We have the first edition from 1966 and just love the illustrations by Trina S. Hyman. Once upon a time there was a little...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT