With the Christmas 2020 and New Year 2021 fast approaching I, like most of you, I have already started thinking about gifts to give to family, friends and neighbours. I came across this colouring-in book in the English language recently and it’s all about Croatian cultural heritage and landmarks that the world recognises Croatia by. I rushed to purchase several of these books and soon the postal service delivered them, to my delight; with them I started filling that “Christmas Stocking” for children and grown-ups.

I recommend this fun and educational book to all who have Croatian family roots generations back, to all who have visited Croatia to refresh the joy and unique cultural experience, to all who wish to visit Croatia … it is almost like a compass to reach the nucleuses that make Croatian people what they are, that make Croatia of today what it is: wonderful. Each Croatian cultural heritage, whether it is a building, a cathedral, a city, a folkloric custom or costume has a brief description in English of what it stands for and what its significance is.  

As with all picture books, this colouring-in picture book is one in which the written text could not tell the story alone, but rather the illustrations are absolutely necessary to carry part of the story or narrative. Picture books are ubiquitous in Western early childhood and primary settings, as well as in the world of grown-ups. The combination of the visual and the textual in picture books is very appealing, and research shows close examination of text and image enhances comprehension and extends language (Hsaio, 2010; Pantaleo, 2008; Shatzer, 2008; Sneddon, 2009; Taliaferro, 2009).

“Colour Me Croatian” is a very appealing picture book with an added element that engages learning and imagination about Croatia because the pictures are there to be coloured with colours every individual chooses for himself or herself.

Living outside Croatia for decades most people make a point of bringing up their children and grandchildren born outside Croatia with bits and pieces of Croatian folklore, culture and language and all these are pieces of the puzzle that bring their identity and family roots close – shaping that ever important pride in knowing who we are from roots.   

A study done at Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) in 2010 concluded that children who knew about their family history had higher self-esteem and were better able to deal with stress. When children know their families, they are filled with a sense of fulfillment. Another study done at Emory University by Psychologists Marshall Duke and Robyn Fivush found that children who have a strong family narrative enjoy better emotional health. It’s hard to feel alone when you know that you are part of something bigger. When children know what challenges, their family have faced and overcome, they are more confident to face their own challenges. They are better adjusted and more resilient. They found that the more the children knew, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned.

Children, and indeed the young and old, love to learn about the world they live in as well as the family they belong to. This love, I believe, is a natural occurrence because all human beings yearn to belong and need a self-identity to live a healthy life.

Like many people, Croatian emigrants are raising their kids away from “home turf”. Much, if not most, of their family are dotted around the world and all their roots are in Croatia. As said above, research has shown that children who know more about their families and family history are more resilient and tend to do better when facing challenges in life. This may be because seeing patterns of overcoming failures and surviving hard times can help children recognise that people can recover and triumph, despite hardships. One of the best things families can do is develop a strong family narrative and this colouring-in book “Colour Me Croatian” is such a fun and educational way to do that. This colouring-in book is almost like a miniature tapestry of Croatian heritage and by engaging with it through colouring-in a child, a person, realises that he/she is a thread that belongs to that tapestry threaded by unique culture and customs that, in fact, defines their family and roots.

It’s very likely that many Croatians living outside Croatia whose children or grandchildren have been born and raised outside Croatia have at some time during their life experienced from their children or grandchildren, upon their visit to Croatia, something that can be compared to a wonderful epiphany or realisation. And that epiphany goes something like this: I now understand you mum, dad, grandfather, grandmother…I have seen and experienced where you were born… And colouring-in the pages of this book “Colour Me Croatian” is almost like an experience of visiting Croatia, touching and feeling its culture and history. For children, this book builds a strong intergenerational self as the sense of long history stretches back for them, giving them connection that builds personal strength through knowledge.

All people have a basic human need for connection and belonging, and people who have basic human needs that are met are more resilient. In addition to teaching your children or friends about their, your, your friend’s Croatian ancestral culture and heritage this book is bound to generate narration of family stories, narrations of experiences while visiting Croatia and this in itself is something we all should strive for and maintain. I hope you enjoy “Colour Me Croatian” as much as I have been enjoying it with children and adults in my surrounds. Ina Vukic