Down with the Cucumber King

The Austrian writer Christine Nöstlinger wrote a very funny book - a "family novel" that would be good for both children and adults to read.

One day, the respectable Austrian family of Hogelmans, consisting of a mother, a father, a grandfather, two boys, and one girl, discovers a strange creature in their kitchen. It looks like a pumpkin-cucumber hybrid, with a crown on its head. It speaks in broken human language. It considers itself the king of the lower basement, from which its subjects have banished it. It demands to be loved and pampered and insists on being looked after and fed with sprouted potatoes. The children and adults who find themselves in such a ridiculous, funny, and downright fantastic situation behave differently. For example, the father of the family is literally led around by the nose by this "pumpkin-cucumber."

Despite the overall entertaining tone, the book is undoubtedly very instructive and multifaceted: it touches on pedagogical, psychological, and even political themes. But the main issue is the "problem of 'fathers and children.'"

Christine Nöstlinger allows her readers of all ages to see themselves from the outside - seriously, but with a smile, and at times - with contagious laughter. During a lively family reading, the book will bring great pleasure with its spectacular plot, the brilliant translation by Pavel Frenkel, who created unexpected phrases and expressions, and the dynamic illustrations by the master of book illustration, Mikhail Skobeleev. If a conflict situation arises in the family (in the language of the Cucumber King, "times have gone crazy"), perhaps His Excellency the Cucumber Skull will teach the children to make independent decisions. And adults will begin to respect the interests of their grown children and learn to notice "royal" traits in themselves: petty nitpicking, excessive self-importance, and a habit of domestic tyranny.