What is the European Union, how it was created and what is it actually for us, Dominika Perlínová, the editor of Aktuálně.cz, explains to children in her new book “The European Union: United in Diversity”. “We tried our best to explain complex things, such as the approval process, with the help of illustrations,” explains the author of the book in the Europe in context podcast.
The book, which is intended for children aged 10 and over, is published by the Albatros publishing house at the end of April. “I worked with the editor to ensure that the book does not use overly complex language, even though it deals with complex topics,” says Perlínová.
The illustrations that accompany the entire book were completed by students of the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen under the guidance of illustrator Renata Fučíková. “The biggest challenge was to correctly write and draw the approval process in the European Union,” adds the journalist.
Laws in the European Union are made up of three most important institutions: the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. Each of them must discuss the proposal and agree. As in the Czech Republic, laws are passed by the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate and must be signed by the President.
The name United in diversity, which is also the motto of the European Union, does not sound too childish. “We tried to approach the book somewhat aspirationally and not only to explain the union itself, but also to show the diversity of the individual countries that are in it,” explains Perlínová. There are, for example, explanatory boxes on the sides of the book, where readers can learn something interesting about each member country.
20 years in the EU
In May, the Czech Republic celebrates 20 years in the European Union, and in June Europe will have elections to the European Parliament. Therefore, thematically, the book could be interesting in the spring. However, the author admits that it will be more suitable for children in schools than bedtime reading.
“But, for example, the first chapters about the creation of the Union or the individual founding fathers and mothers are very telling. It is when reading these chapters that one realizes how much Europe has changed since the Second World War,” he adds.
You can listen to the entire episode of the Europe in Context podcast with Aktuálně.cz editor Dominika Perlínová about her new book The European Union: United in Diversity in all podcast applications. In it, she explains, among other things, how the entire process of working with a group of illustrators took place and what topics she avoided in the book.
