POGI and PIKA children’s picture book

The picture book POGI and PIKA by Uroš Grilc and Gregor Goršič is truly something special! The story of Tadej Pogačar and Urška Žigart takes us to a fairy-tale world of elves, giants and dragons and gets young and old excited about cycling. And how much new do you learn about the two real heroes, Pogi and Pika: why is Urška Pika and where did Tadej learn such exceptional cycling skills? The picture book was published in the collection Škratolovščine by the Škrateljc Institute, which creates a Fairy-Adventure Transversal across Slovenia, family adventures in nature, connected to original stories in picture books. Fairy-tale creatures take children on the wings of their imagination to real places, to forest experiences, where children and adults find themselves in the middle of the story and become its heroes. The connection between fairy tales and reality is also a characteristic of the new picture book POGI andPIKA. The story of the picture book POGI and PIKA is fairy tale, the illustrator Gregor Goršič has vividly depicted the dwarves, dragons and giants who test Pogi and Pika in their cycling exploits. The writer Uroš Grilc conceived the story as a journey of the two heroes from their school days, which are of course connected with cycling, through the two heroes' encounters with fairy tale heroes: "The dwarves, dragons and giants test Pika and Pogi in a hundred and one ways, train them and in the end shape them into the cyclists they are today. With effort and perseverance, and of course, courage, Pogi and Pika set an example for all children to follow their dreams. And a bicycle can be a great companion on the way to your dreams: whether it's a trip to school, a trip, or training and top-level sport. That's why Urška and Tadej conclude the story in the picture book POGI and PIKA like this: "This is our cycling fairy tale. With real and fairy-tale heroes. If you believe in elves, dragons, and giants, they will definitely help you through many trials. If you believe in yourself, they will take you all the way to your dreams. How? On a bicycle, of course!" The special feature of the picture book POGI and PIKA is that the fairy tale story takes place at iconic cycling locations in Slovenia and Europe: from Vršič and Krvavec, where Tadej was trained, to Treh Kraljev on Pohorje, which is Urška's home slope. But then there is Flanders, Col du Galibier, Strade Bianche, Passo Stelvio... The illustrations in the picture book are rich, lively and full of enthusiasm and optimism, as are Pogi and Pika. Gregor Goršič, illustrator: "Illustrating the story POGI PA PIKA was a really special experience for me - not only exciting from an illustrator's perspective, but also because I am a big fan of Tadej and Urška and an enthusiastic cyclist myself. The latter was actually a great help to me in my work. With the illustrations, I wanted to capture that childish joy when you sit on a bike and feel the freedom of the wind in your hair. That we are not afraid of challenges, but rather face them and enjoy the journey. I hope that the picture book will encourage children to pedal bravely - both on the bike and in life." And last but not least, what do its main characters, Tadej Pogačar and Urška Žigart, say about the picture book? "We were delighted to collaborate on the creation of the picture book POGI and PIKA, which is something very special – a cycling fairy tale for children and all those who still believe in the magic of the world and the power of dreams. The story combines real adventures with imaginary heroes – elves, giants and dragons – and encourages readers to be courageous, persistent and active. The book is not only about us, Tadej and Urška, but above all about how important it is to believe in yourself – whether it is your first cycling lap or big life goals. We believe that POGI and PIKA will inspire many young readers – to dream, to move and to believe in the power of perseverance."