EUROLIS’ Eurotoolbox is available for another academic year!

Founded in 2002, EUROLIS is an association of librarians and information professionals from France, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Spain and the UK. They work together to raise the profile of a European library service in the UK, with the primary aim of promoting countries’ literature, languages and cultures.

Eurotoolbox is a resource collection which has been put together by EUROLIS with the assistance of CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) in the UK.

Schools and libraries can host the collection for a period of four to six weeks, using the resources as a springboard for activities, discussions or simply to allow their members or pupils to explore the richness of European children’s literature in the original language.

The 2024/25 theme is immigration. This year EUROLIS seeks to raise awareness and understanding of displacement among children and young adults. Each language set includes one (or more) book that reflects the theme.

The collection is travelling to schools and public libraries throughout the country. Would you like to host the Eurotoolbox in your library? Then get in touch with EUROLIS, details provided below.

To host the collection at your school or library contact Flore Hodencq of the Institut Francais.

To read more about the project visit the EUROLIS website.

The Polish collection this year includes:

Zadomowieni (At Home)  by Magda Pytlakowska – Wasielewska

Age 6+

The book “ZADOMOWIENI” about refugee children who settled in Poland, is a touching story about the journey of four children: Nadzieja from Belarus, Taras from Ukraine, Zala from Afghanistan, and Manu from Cameroon, and the path they had to take to reach Poland.

The daily lives of our protagonists unfold according to their childlike nature, until the sudden need to flee their country strips them of everything they once held dear—friends, family, and home. They are forced to escape from their homeland, embark on a long and exhausting journey to Poland, uncertain of what awaits them there.

To Jest Maks (This is Max) by Patryk Pufelski

Age 5+

A snail, a dog, a gecko, a turtle, and a human—what do they have in common? This touching, poetic book uses the real stories of rescued animals to explore the essence of home. Can it be something we carry with us, like a snail with its shell? And is a house without its inhabitants still a home?

Kiedy Urosnę (When I grow up) by Maria Dek

Age 3+

A book whose easy format will allow young readers to access the most fascinating places on our planet for most likely the first time! They can travel through different countries and habitats (the sea, the city, the desert and the countryside) and learn about a heap load of wonders. They will also have fun lifting the pop-ups and learning how to take care of the environment.

Rany Julek! (Oh Julek!) by Agnieszka Frączek

Age 6+

The story of Julek—a real rascal. He built complicated, useless machines, raised grass snakes in a box, cast spells on stones. Thanks to his many passions, Julek became a poet. Rany Julek! is a lively account of Polish poet Julian Tuwim’s childhood, filled with stories, poems, and jokes as colourful and explosive as his chemical experiments.

Szalik (The Scarf) by Michał Rusinek

Age 6-8

Discover the inspiring story of Wisława Szymborska, one of the world’s most beloved Polish poets! Michał Rusinek humorously tells of young Ichna and the adult Wisława, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature—despite never dreaming of it.

Masia Czarownica (Masia the Witch) by Anna Onichimowska

Age 6-8

You are holding a book about real heroes! They are sensitive to the needs of others, understand so much, and feel more deeply than the most sensitive seismograph. This gentleness doesn’t stop them from being brave and strong—not just in extraordinary situations, but every single day!

Kałużysko (A huge puddle) by Anna Augustyniak

Age 6-8

Kałużysko is a story about a child’s depression and how a family supports a loved one through illness. Using a simple metaphor, the book explores depression from a child’s perspective, depicting both the child struggling with the illness and the one observing and coping with the situation.

Hajda Beskid Bez Kitu by Maria Strzelecka

Age 8+

The third part of the story set in the Beskid mountains, focusing on the difficult times of Lemko resettlements and Operation “Vistula.” Maria Strzelecka weaves a touching and empathetic tale of people and animals, capturing the essence of life in a 1940s Beskid village with tender detail.

Janek Pseudonim Żegota by Barbara Gawryluk

Age 8+

It’s 1943, and sixteen-year-old Janek wants to fight for Poland, just like his father. Against his mother’s wishes, he passes the exam and becomes a partisan, taking part in many dangerous missions. Eventually, he is captured. He never spoke about what happened to him between the fall of ’43 and the spring of ’45.

Silla by Karolina Lewestam

Age 9-12

Silla is the first book in a new series set in the magical world of Zorza, filled with talking animals and Black Birds. The ancient harmony has been disrupted. The only hope for saving the world of Zorza lies with an entirely ordinary boy. Ari sets out alone toward his destiny.