Children's & young adult: general non-fiction
The Gymnast Nikolaj
Chases Away the Wicked Thief
by Klarisa Jovanovič
Nikolaj the Gymnast is Klarisa Jovanovič's first picture book. It tells the story of a gymnast who detects a thief while doing his exercises in the park. The scene makes him so angry that he decides to catch him. The thief steals a baby's rattle and, on another occasion, a magnifying glass from an old lady who visits the park. The thief’s third criminal attempt in a row consists in trying to steal the tablecloth which a poor man puts on his table to embellish it on Sundays. This time, Nikolaj will catch him and recuperate all the stolen items. Nikolaj the Gymnast is written in verse, in a humorous and very skilful way. Even if posing the ethical question of whether stealing is acceptable or not, it does it without moralizing.
