Vincent Goes to Africa
Eight-year-old Vincent looks like a stick insect. Not only did he grow extremely fast, but he also feels tired all the time. The doctors cannot find the cause of his weakness. But Mr Yaloké, the owner of the African shop, can. Mr Yaloké’s brother, a witch-doctor from Cameroon, had a vision in which he saw that Vincent’s “star of life” became imprisoned between the roots of the thistles on Mount Bhanga. If Vincent wants to become better, he needs to set his star of life free. Thus begins the adventurous story of the journey of the tall, thin boy to Africa. He meets many weird and wonderful people, is amazed by the exotic animals he sees, learns the traditions of native African people and makes friends that will remain his even though soon thousands of kilometers will separate him from them. Most important, however, is that Vincent learns to know himself – his strengths and abilities and the weaknesses that he has to overcome. His wish to become a witch-doctor is proof that his journey to Africa showed him a deeper meaning of life.
There are little kids and big kids. Jožin is big. If you meet him on the street, you’d think he’s ten years old. But that’s not true. He was eight in December. He wears the same size shoes as his mom. I don’t mean he wears shiny high heels – he usually has a pair of sneakers that are kind of scuffed up, and for some reason, the laces always come undone – but the size, the size is the same as his mom’s. His mom’s feet don’t grow anymore, but Jožin has to get a new pair of shoes every six months because the old ones hurt him. “That kid sure goes through a lot of shoes!” says his dad. He’s not really complaining. Jožin is an only child, and his dad would do anything for him. If it was necessary, he’d buy him new shoes every Monday. Jožin grows the most at night. Yesterday, he still had to stand on his tiptoes to reach the door handle at the big gates of the museum where his dad works, but today, he opens it like it’s nothing. “Dinosaur department, first floor on the right,” calls the lady at the desk, teasing Jožin about his height. But Jožin isn’t a dinosaur. Actually, he feels weak. Sometimes, he’s so tired from growing so fast that he doesn’t even have the strength to lift his feet. It feels like he’s dragging a fifty-kilogram weight behind him. “You need to rest a lot and eat your vitamins,” says the pediatrician, who regularly weighs and measures Jožin. “What time do you go to bed?” Jožin is in bed every night at 8 p.m., but when his mom turns off the light and leaves, Jožin tosses and turns for a long time and can’t fall asleep. Sometimes, he’s a little scared too. His room is full of suspicious noises, and when you have to go to the bathroom at night, strange shadows seem to reach out after you. “Who’s scared, pees in the hallway!” laughs his dad at Jožin’s fear and shakes his head at the flashlight Jožin hides under his pillow, just in case.
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The book was awarded
Suk 2000, the Prize
of Czech Librarians