Ack, These Parents!
Psichogios Publications | 2013 | Illustrations: Iris Samartzi
How would life be if your parents were always waking up late and taking hours to get ready? And what if they were always leaving their room a total mess? And what if they never washed their hands before lunch or dinner? And what if their boss was always complaining to you about them being absent-minded, sleepy, and always making mistakes? And what if they were always getting their clothes, the floor, the walls dirty? And what if you had to ground them as punishment?
Read this very entertaining book and you will find out!
Nominations:
Short-listed for the National Prize for Literature
Short-listed for the Public Awards
This book is also available in Georgian, Boulgarian and Romanian translation.
Critical Reviews
“Reading this book, both children and parents will be entertained by the illustrations and identify with the characters of the story. While observing the turns through this brilliantly written reversal of roles, they might see their own selves, as if reflected in a mirror, emerging out of this story.”
Georgia Galanopoulou, fractal, 28/01/15
“This book by Tsitas surprises us as well. This book adopts a novel pedagogy: it stages a play and wins a bet. You can’t fool children. You need to find something else to win them over. And Tsitas has succeeded in doing so once again.””
Anthoula Daniil, Kathimerini tis Kyriakis newspaper, 01/06/14
“Entertaining and conscious of the significance of pedagogical instruction, as well as of amusing readers, Tsitas helps young children reach maturity and self-knowledge by better understanding the position of adults, of their anxieties, and of their desire to educate their children. The book, however, also guides parents towards a more effective process of self-reflection. Thanks to this serious yet joyful story, parents too can find the opportunity to recognize and overcome their own reactions and overreactions and which could lead some -- and not solely because they behave like children in this dream – to exclaim: Ack, These Parents!”
Giannis Stroumpas, Antifonitis newspaper, 01/09/2013
“In Makis Tsitas’s books, and especially his children’s books, there is almost always a surprise, a reversal that awaits, smiling playfully, hidden in the very last pages, and winking at the reader. Here, in this new little story, this sense of surprise reaches its peak. The entire book is a continuous play; as an idea, it is brilliant and original.”
Eleni Sarantiti, bookbar, 03/07/13
“The author knows children’s psychology inside out, and he creates characters with the raw materials found only in original literature… In this book, Tsitas reaches into the inner world of children and, by means of a dream, he reconciles them with reality and with the presence of the “other” in their lives. The epilogue is inventive: there is no lecturing. The child is encouraged to calm down and find balance, but also remain faithful to his/her own nature.”
Ifigenia Mastrogianni, ogdoo, 02/07/13
“Now, after writing about subjects like friendship, sleep and a healthy diet, Makis Tsitas takes up children’s little misbehaviors and pranks. He does so in a really inventive and ingeniously educational manner: he puts adults in the position of children, and children in that of their parents, teachers, and school principals.”
Georgia Drakaki, rizopoulospost.com, 21/05/13
“An original book which discusses the relationship between children and parents. Many times, children wonder why their parents reproach them, punish them and why they overreact. They can’t understand the responsibility a parent shoulders when it comes to children. However, when the child assumes the role of the parent, then and only then does he/she realize that parents have to place limits, impose rules, and be strict with their children. Consequently, this book assists in the process of bridging the gap that exists in the relationship between children and parents.”
Sophia Deni, kosvoice.gr, July 2013