Letters

Quotes from letters I really enjoyed reading. Thank you!

 

You are reading the letter of a rather elderly grandma. During my long life I have not read a storybook as kind, touching and emotional as yours. The ANNA and Pete books made a huge impact on my grandchildren and moreover on me. I was really shocked how is it possible to say so much about the mystery of upbringing children by using a few lines and words. Please accept the acknowledging congratulations of a grandmother and God bless you with health and energy!

My letter is primarily motivated by SAYING THANK YOU, for creating timeless beauty for pure-minded children with your work. (Work? Maybe this is the incorrect expression to use, when we are talking about the good-hearted love of someone permeated with heart and soul.) Your books are definitely the favourites of my daughter (besides the books of Veronika Marék), and the joy I can see her face when we are reading Berry and Dolly is comforting and elevating also for me.

I have recently bumped into your Anna and Pete series while looking after my grandchildren. This summer we read so much that I could possibly obtain a doctoral degree in your books. Thank you so much! I have read numerous storybooks during my years to my children and grandchildren. But your books are finally not like those, which were written to adults in a babbling tone, as if they would be fairytales. These are situations and experiences, which are actually experienced/understood by children at the age of 3 to 5. Surely this principle guided you while writing your books. Congratulations and thank you for creating such beauty in our world!

Thank you very much for the huge amounts of tales you have given us as a gift. I work in a crèche and I have been reading your stories to children every single day. They are enjoying nearly all of them; they know your characters and cannot wait to read the next page of the book. Berry and Dolly enchanted them so much, that I had to make two drawings from the inner cover of the book, which are placed on the wall of the team room. The children also asked me to draw Berry and Dolly in their parent message booklets, which I also love doing as much as they enjoy it.

I have a son, who after getting a vaccination became seriously ill. Luckily after his operation he was clear, but unfortunately his speech development lagged significantly behind his age group. Your books helped him to catch up with the others. Thank you for drawing all those things I could only tell him in words.

I would like to say thank you for enriching the world of our children with so many stories addressing the soul and heart of young children. My little son not only requests us to read your stories but he is also telling stories about yours. I can also realise the life of my son in your stories and your books gave us numerous ideas for spending our leisure time wisely or to resolve conflicts. So all in all I am very grateful to you! The Berry and Dolly series are also very charming; they charmingly transmit friendship, help of a friend or anything which is important for a young child. Your books are never boring. Your books remain interesting even if we have already read them for hundred thousand times.

As a librarian (dealing with children’s literature) I would like to congratulate to your heart-warming stories; I am certain that we would need a lot more books like yours to ensure a happy childhood for our children!

Let us congratulate to your Berry and Dolly stories, which gives joy to our family each and every day. They are the favourite characters of our 3.5 years old daughter, we are reading the same story for days or even weeks (parents, grandparents, great-grandparents), and she is also reading them to her dollies.

Your books also proved to be a great help in bringing our daughter up, as they represent such scale of values, and display in the stories such values, which we believe in and we follow. Your illustrations are friendly, lovely and it’s a joy going through the pages of your book.

The main reason I am writing to you is your poetry books. We cannot find anything close to your published poetry books. My elder son knows all poems by heart! They love the illustrations; they are keep displaying the illustrations with their hands according to the poems. Your books are so well written and illustrated, that every single evening we finish the day by reading and acting out 4 to 5 poems. We are hoping that soon you will publish your third poetry book, because our children are really in love with them.

I am writing my letter from Cluj Napoca and I would like to say thank you in the name of our entire family to help to prepare our son for the arrival of his brother/sister. We have got to know your books six months ago, ever since they are great help for us in bringing up our children.

It is very rare in our nowadays world that someone is able to see opportunities and the source of children’s joy in a bunch of chestnuts and to write a kind poem about for example the smelly-smoggy traffic of a big city like you. I really like it that while the Berry and Dolly series take children (and also adults) to the accustomed fairytale world, the Anna, Pete and Greg series recall the tiny events of our everyday life experienced and enjoyed by our children, and I would have never believed earlier how these events attract the fantasy of children. Your books are full of learning, without preaching, but they teach and educate us without noticing. I am learning patience and understanding of a mother, which is radiating from the pages of your books, because they display real human feelings and emotions. Finally there is someone who dares to write it down that even a Mother can be tired, angry, impatient, but without noticing everything goes back to normal…..

I have spent nearly one whole year at a clinic in the company of ill children, who I have seen running around and lying in bed with “Anna, Pete and Greg” books. I have also experienced the secret of the “Anna, Pete and Greg” books with my daughter, who was three at the time: I have seen how her eyes were sparkling as they were all about her and she could imagine every second of the stories.

The book entitled Hoppie’s Tales is a true and unique unity of things, which may excite, entertain, teach and enchant a child. But actually I would like to say thank you for all the Erika Bartos actions: my 3.5 years old nephew has been recently taken to hospital; nobody could calm him down but Berry and Dolly. He is watching the film attentively for the hundredth time; he knows the stories by heart, and when he gets a new roommate in the hospital, he wants to show his friends to everyone and he restarts the entire Berry and Dolly cycle all over again.

I would like to say thank you for the joy caused to us and our children by your works. They are simply amazing and unmatchable. I admire your talent, creativity and the diversity of your fantasy. I am sure that I will still love your illustrations when I grow old. Heart-warming, perfectly kind and colourful.

I believe that your Berry and Dolly series have also a “healing” impact, similarly to the Anna, Pete and Greg stories.

I am sure that your are receiving tons of letters from readers, but I hope that you will have a few seconds to read through also mine. My daughter is seven months old; I am a great admirer of your works. In this short letter I would like to say thank you for your work. My favourite books include Fluffy Clouds and the Berry and Dolly series. I am reading them nearly every day to my little baby. I am glad to tell my daughter as a bedtime story the Watering Truck, Trolley Bus and similar urban poems. I know most of the poems included in the Fluffy Clouds by heart, in the family I have to quote the poem about mothers; it is wonderful! 
We also love the drawings; my daughter is also looking at them for a long time with pupils wide open. As a mother with her first child I often feel tired and tense, but the illustrations of your books always calm me down, they are so friendly and they make the world so nice and round. 

It is a pleasure to read the Berry and Dolly series to my daughter. I am sure that her continuously expanding and colourful vocabulary is also partly due to your books.

As a parent with young children I would like to express our recognition to you for making such great impact on our children. By reading any of your books or stories, our children associate their life with the story as you are writing about things, which happen to us every single day. Your stories are put such simply and understandably that no explanation is required.

I would like to say thank you for writing the book entitled ANNA, PETE and GREG A Baby’s On the Way. My daughter is hyperactive, it’s not easy with her, but she got a lovely kindergarten teacher she managed to help her a lot. She recommended your books. And see what happened! Since that day my daughter is carrying your book on her and based on the pictures she is telling me the stories. So many thanks to you that now she is able to sit down and calm down. She is thoroughly enjoying every moment of the book. Thank you for the book and for the support in improving the hyperactivity of my daughter. I wish you lots of success for your new books and excellent work.

Dear Erika! I am mother of a 4-year old boy, who loves your books. Since he was born I have been reading to him, but what we have now cannot be compared to anything! The Anna and Pete book is NUMBER ONE! He got it for Christmas and since then he wants us to read it to him every single day! Congratulations!

I work in a crèche, looking after children and I am also happy mother of two adult children. I have always chosen nice and gentle-hearted stories for my group. When I tell them stories from the Anna, Pete and Greg series, their eyes are sparkling, they admire the stories and experience again the tiny joys and conflicts of everyday life. They also get solutions and a sample! Not only them, but also their parents. Now this became their favourite. During discussions with parents I always recommend your series. I believe that this series is also for children attending crèche, sincerely, gently and with lots of love. I think this might be the secret behind it!

Hereby I would like to SAY THANK YOU to you:

My daughter has been suffering from fever for 3 days; only reading stories could calm her down. I have made a deal with her: I will read your stories to her if after every second page she drinks a sip of water and eats a bite of food after every story. So this way I managed to hydrate her a little bit and we are hoping that the situation will get better. I would like to say special thanks, as this is the only way we can get through these difficult days. Slowly your book will disintegrate; we need a new copy as we have used it so much. Congratulations and wishing you even more success, health and happiness.

My children got the Anna and Pete books for Christmas. Ever since these are their bedtime stories. My daughter fully relives the stories, as she can associate them with her own experience (chicken-pox, brushing teeth and sulking are her favourites). In the last month they went through chicken-pox and immediately after that a very rough vomiting type illness. We would like to congratulate to your books and would like to say thank you for the lots of love which is transferred and radiated from your books.

I would just like to say thank you, as Father Christmas brought your book entitled Anna, Pete and Greg Let’s go to kindergarten. Practically I have cried through the entire book, of course in a gentle manner so that my 3 year old daughter can enjoy it as much as I can. Finally a storybook where you can see that it was written by a parent of young children. I am honestly very happy that there still people out there like you.

In our group there is a 7 year boy, suffering from behavioural issues. He protested against poems, as he said he hated them all. When we started your book, he did not want me to put it down; I had to read all of them. Congratulations!

Thank you very much for your kind books, which I could put under the Christmas tree for my young child. He is only 1.5 years old, but he is very pleased –what’s more he is asking me- when I read stories from the Anna and Pete series. Thank you again for these educational, but still interesting stories.

As a mother of four my favourite book is Telling tales and the story entitled “It’s enough”. I have also stepped on building blocks, and I managed to drink coffee cold, which I have warmed up already three times.

I have encountered your Anna and Pete book thanks to my 20-months old twins. My children love them, and I am still not bored with them after reading and looking at them thousand times.

First of all I would like to say thank you for the experience you give to people while reading the Anna and Pete books. The illustrations are lovely, and I also love the stories, also as a mother to be and as a teacher.

I would like to congratulate to your Anna and Pete books! I also browsed through your website and congratulations to your great ideas and especially to the energy, which is radiating through your illustrations and also your works... All and all I am amazed, and wishing you lots of success in the future!

I cannot say thank you enough times for reading your Anna and Pete books. It helps a lot in the evening, no such book exists which would be loved so much by our children. We wish you lots of success and we cannot wait for future lovely books!

I am writing to you because I really like your books! My daughter got the blue Anna and Pete book for her third birthday in November. In February she got the red one for her name day. Ever since that day she has been reading them every day! To have book as a favourite in the life of a 3 year old girl is very rare…. It was also a great help when we started kindergarten. 

I have just found your website and I would like to tell you how grateful I am for the Anna and Pete series. My daughter every single day asks me to read your stories again and again. I am a librarian, working with children literature so I recommend your books to every mother with young children. 

It is shocking how humane you can be in this world! Thank you.

Congratulation to your books, we love them as they are amazing, child-oriented, last but not least with lovely illustrations. I am telling you this not only as a mother but also as a teacher. 
I wish you lots of energy for your future books, and I am hoping that your new books will be soon on our bookshelves! 

My 27 months old daughter is on the picture, who demands every night the “Tooth man” story (“Tooth brushing” from the Anna and Pete series). Previously she never enjoyed brushing her teeth! Thank you for this and for the amazing stories!

I would like to say thank you for compiling such high level books and website! My sons were using books as a motorway for their matchboxes, until they got two Anna, Pete and Greg books for Christmas. When they are telling stories to each other, they involve their own experience. I could not get this far with any other storybooks we had.

Congratulations to your Anna and Pete series! My 3-year old child took the book off the shelves in the book store and said that this was the book he wanted. Ever since this day we have been reading it million times.

It is clear that your book has finally been written by a parent with young children. It is radiating love; we would like to express our sincere congratulations. We wish you lots of energy, joy and success!

As a young mother I have purchased the poetry book entitled Fluffy Clouds for my 3 month old baby. It was completely amazing; both the text and illustrations are genius. I am very glad that I have found your book, I am sure I will collect all your books!

I have recently found your poetry book entitled Lucky Dip, to my greatest pleasure, as my two year old son loves any vehicles, such as trains, bin trucks, buses and mainly trams. 
Thank you for writing a poetry book, which matches the taste of my son so much.

I have never got so far in my life to actually write a letter to an unknown “author” of a book, but now I need to. We are diligently collecting your books, the Easter Bunny also dropped off two now storybooks and the Lucky Dip. And I am writing concerning this book. I thought that the poetry book was too much. We love your stories, but now poems? And last night I realised that YES, also poems. My son listened to your poetry book, he asked me to read the chestnut one many times. Me and my husband both would like to congratulate to your work and say thank you. Tonight we cannot wait what our son will choose, and we are pleased to read them to him. Sometimes we tell him your stories and poems by heart. Please do not stop writing; your kind approach will help many people.

Since the publication of your first Anna and Pete book they have always been involved in the work of my children. Finally a book, which is down to earth, therefore it is understandable. Simple sentences and illustrations draw the attention of even the little ones and they are absolutely magical. They are even funny for me, I like reading them. As a parent living close to Budapest they are useful excursion tips. I have listed them from your books and usually Saturday morning we decide where we off on that day. As I have found out they are also popular among other people of my age. And when we come home we read in the book where we have been.

For my daughter I have prepared a wall decoration in her room using her favourite “characters”. My daughter loves them, every night she says good bye to them. She is really thrilled that her dreams are watched over by Berry and Dolly! I hope that we can enjoy your fairytales and poems for a long time, because they are really entertaining and last but not least they offer an effective learning/educating opportunity for my children!

We regularly visit our local library, where we could finally lend the book entitled Anna, Pete and Greg Come on sunshine! We got so much involved that there in the library I read the entire book to my son. I have never seen him so enthusiastic while reading a storybook to him, and what really touched me that he was keep smiling while I read the book to him. When he looked at some of the illustrations he was giggling and laughing. I also loved the book very much; it seemed as if it would have been written about our life. Your drawings are also a big plus to your books. They are addressing young children, in a way they would illustrate stories, and still they are wonderful, understandable to them, happy and colourful.

You have written fantastic little poems; they are rhythmic and kind. They all come from the everyday life of children. Many of them are also suitable for singing.

We love your poems, because all things that matter to us are covered by them. The poem for mother’s day as much touch the emotions of a mother as the poem about the “old rag” touches the soul of little children. The poems are able to transfer this different kind, heart-monitoring, storytelling-rhyming, jointly grieving or joyful, individual – still happening along the same track in the life of each family – special relationship.

We are great fan of yours; we especially love your poems. My 2.5 years old son knows the poems by heart.

To flick through the pages of your books is more than joy for children. The great feeling your books are radiating is a miracle! 

Thank you for preparing such beautiful and kind storybooks; it is a great joy reading them. We really love the Anna, Pete and Greg, Berry and Dolly series and all poetry books of yours. We cannot wait for the new books to come out and to buy them for my daughter.

Similarly to many other mothers I would just like to say thank you for easing our lives with the help of your stories. We went to kindergarten no problem. Well not went, we are running to kindergarten, and during the entire weekend during role play I had to be the kindergarten teacher… I am absolutely positive that all this is due to you and your books (specifically due to the stories related to kindergarten)! Your stories are vital! A happy mother and loyal reader of yours

Thank you very much for Hoppie’s Tales. It was a great success for my 3 year old son. We even had to take an excursion to Pécs: Hoppie’s adventure. The book was a great help in planning the tour and also during the tour.

I live in Prague with my family. I have seen your books a few months ago and I bought for my 3 year old daughter the book entitled Anna and Pete: A Baby’s on the Way, and it appeared that my daughter can take fully onboard these stories. This book became the favourite of my daughter immediately. I am very grateful that thanks to you there are storybooks, which are actually aimed at young children.

I would like to say thank you for the poetry book entitled Locomotive! Every day we spend hours with reading the book. All the poems are absolutely great. My son is two years old, as a boy he is amazed by vehicles. He is quoting more and more from the book, he can remember them without teaching them. Thank you so much again and we love you! God bless your work!

Hereby I would like to say thank you for your work. Yesterday in our town was the Small Region Poetry Recital Competition organised, and my 4 years old daughter also participated at this competition. She was reciting your poem entitled "Mushroom" and she won 1st prize in the kindergarten category. It was obvious that she would choose one of your poems, because I always have to read your books to her. So you also have a great part in the success of my daughter! Hereby I would like to say thank you for pleasing us and everyone with such amazing poems!

Your books amaze, entertain, make laugh and emotionally touch most children living in our neighbourhood. Our elder son, husband and me welcome both the illustrations and stories.

My son was 1.5 years old when I started reading your stories to him and ever since before going to sleep I am reading your books to him every night. I also get inspiration from your books; it’s great to read happy and funny family stories. It is exemplary for me how much perfect love you are giving to your children. Thank you for sharing this with us and it’s great that this feeling also gets to us through your books!

I would like to say thank you for the Anna, Pete and Greg series, for the Berry and Dolly series and for the Lucky Dip (and of course for all your other works we are not yet familiar with)! These are not only the favourites of my 2.5 years old daughter, but also mine! My daughter is not only learning about the world from these books, but I also learn a lot. I am learning about patience, understanding and how to find the biggest treasures in little things.

We believe that your books are amazing and charming, both the illustrations and the stories. The main thing is that children get to love the books, and through joint storytelling they become children who love to read themselves and have a colourful imagination as adults. In order to achieve this goal the Anna, Pete and Greg stories are a great starting point.

Thank you for the experience we gained during reading the Locomotive and Berry and Dolly series. We will always be grateful for your work, many thanks and all the best to you. 

My son is 2 years old, but since he is 1 he has been great fan of the Anna, Pete and Greg series. Despite of the fact that we are living in the USA, the grandparents sent us all the books of the series, and the entire family knows nearly all the stories. Finally a series, which I also enjoy reading every day, sometimes for hours and hours on end.

I truly believe that the stories of Anna, Pete and Greg significantly contributed to the fact, that my daughter is balanced, happy and at the age of 2 she can (nearly) fully express herself with a great smile on her face. Thank you for all this. And for the lots of lovely evenings we spent together, and for all the lovely weekend excursions and programs, which we possibly would have never done without your books.

I would like to say thank you for the many happy hours we spend with reading your books and above all for all the help your books gave us along the rocky path of upbringing children and arrival of a new sister/brother to the family.

I would like to say thank you for everything, that is related to Berry and Dolly. All members of the family love your stories. It was love for first sight for our little daughter, who is listening to your stories with her mouth wide open, without moving her eyes or taking a breath. She loves from the bottom of her heart all little “bugs” of the story.

We live in Cluj Napoca, Romania with my husband and three year old daughter and soon we will have another baby coming. Hereby I would like to say thank you for the fairytales you have caused so much joy to our daughter and to us. I admire your natural and warm tone and the happiness your illustrations are radiating. My daughter is fully amazed by your books and I am sure that they will play a great role in easing the arrival of the little brother/sister. She loves the stories so much, that we have to read certain episodes hundred times.

Congratulations to your books, it’s a great help, because with the help of your fairytales I can explain things to children much easier, and they are extremely happy when they see buildings similar to those in the books.

I was looking for a book for my daughter who at the time started school so that she gets interested and motivated in reading. I was looking for a book with relatively little writing, big letters and with plenty of illustrations. That’s how I found the first book of the Anna, Pete and Greg series. The success was immeasurable.

Thank you for the numerous joyful moments your books caused to us! My son was only a few months old when I started to read Berry and Dolly stories to him, ever since we are great fans!

Hereby I would like to say thank you on behalf of me and my daughter for your writings. This summer my daughter got one of your books for her 3 rd birthday and we simply fell in love with your lines. Within two months we have read the book hundred times and we bought another 3 other books of yours. My daughter goes to sleep with these sweet and life-like stories. Thank you for the great experience and wishing you lots of success!

I am sure many people said this to you: Thank you for your work! I am a mother of a 3 year old boy, who is extremely grateful for your activity. My son loves your books; we have books from all of your series. Your books helped us starting crèche and kindergarten now. Unbelievable how attentively you can find these topics.

I am writing, because the way you described the initial difficulties in the Anna book, it helped me to understand that other people felt similar to me, I am not the only one. Thank you again!

I would like to say thank you for all those amazing fairytales you have been writing. My two children fully identify themselves with the stories. We have been living in the USA for 4 years; your books are a great help for me to teach them nice Hungarian and to get them acquainted with Hungary.

The other day a good friend of mine visited us and as a gift to my 3 year old son gave one of your books, entitled A Baby’s on the Way. The book received as a gift amazed the entire family. My son requests me, his daddy and granny to read the book to him; furthermore he is reading it to himself. Thank you very much for the experience and the opportunity you have given us through your books. Congratulations, and we wish you lots of luck, health and happiness.

Hereby I would like to say thank you for the book entitled HOPPIE’S TALES A Tour Around the City of Pécs! Please write similar books about other towns and cities, because both the children and us loved getting to know the town in such different way. Thank you again for the books, we love all of them!

Thank you very much for the stories; we cannot say thank you enough, because they truly come from the heart, they are lovely, kind, full of life, happy and they all radiate love. Also special thanks that the book is published grammatically correct, without any spelling mistakes, as often books get published with mistakes. I am hoping for reading more of your books and wish from the bottom of my heart that you will always be a successful author!

My daughters really love the Berry and Dolly and the Anna, Pete and Greg series. The stories feel like as if they would have happened to us. The drawings are so charming that we would like to express our congratulations! Thank you for giving us so much beauty!

We would like to congratulate to the book entitled Hoppie’s Tales! We love the book and as big travellers of the world and within Hungary, we would be pleased if Hoppie could visit other towns too.

Your storybooks and poetry books are considered family members; your poems are rhythmic, their style, noble simplicity create a fertile soil for composing.

With my wife we had to agree that it is admirable how simply and sincerely you are doing things. For us effortless tone and moral learning of the stories, which is easily understandable also for the young ones are crucial. In present times’ perplexed world it is very rare to see pure and clearly unambiguous things. If I may ask you one thing, as a reader of yours out of many, I would like you to preserve your simplicity and the feeling free from commercial trash. We cannot wait for the new books of all your series. Please could you give us the pleasure to publish many more books, films and illustrations?