Sotir Gelev - How Lora Learned to Count to Ten

“Laura could only count to one. ‘That’s enough for me,’ she told herself. ‘I can count every single thing I see.’” But the artist and writer Sotir Gelev seems to say: No, children, that’s not enough – it’s good to be able to do much more! The main plot is simple – accompanied by her cat, the main character, Laura, meets dwarves, a monster, a robber… and fairies. In funny dialogues with them, she learns to count to ten without even noticing. She goes home with new knowledge, not only about numbers, but also about countless other new things. In this book, the entertaining and the educational go hand in hand, just like the text and the illustrations. The style is inspired by the art of printmaking, the drawing and strokes are masterful, and there is nothing treacly about Laura’s wild, tousled hair, her face, even the look of the fairies. Monochrome graphics in brown tones are supported by gold elements that, in addition to creating a decorative environment throughout the book, remind us that what is happening is very much in the mind of the child and in the realm of the fairy tale.