A spy, a dragon and a cook, or some classics in a book edition – a review of the book “The Adventures of Baltazar Gąbki. Trilogy”

The evening story about the adventures of the Wawel Dragon has become so embedded in my memory that even as an adult I can quote it at random. Did the book on which the animation was based delight me equally?

The Wawel Dragon, respected by everyone, receives a commission from Prince Krak himself. The scientist Baltazar Gąbka went on a research expedition to the Rain Land some time ago, and no one knows why he has not returned yet. So the prince asks his reptilian friend to go to the mentioned place together with the cook assigned to him and persuade the scientist to return to his hometown. The dragon initially refuses and makes excuses about its age, but eventually capitulates. This is how an amazing adventure begins, full of twists, humorous dialogues and unusual events.

Childhood in 710 pages

I must admit that until recently I did not know about the existence of a literary prototype of one of my favorite childhood animations. Only the information on the Wydawnictwo Literackie website made me aware of my reading gaps and encouraged me to catch up on all the adventures of the Dragon and his team. Author Stanisław Pagaczewski was a Polish prose writer, poet and reporter. He had numerous tourist guides, short stories and novels to his credit. He was awarded the Prime Minister’s Award for lifetime achievement for children and youth and the Order of the Smile (an award for activities that bring joy to children). The full three-volume edition of The Adventures of Baltazar Gąbka is not only the engaging content written by Pagaczewski, but also illustrations by Alfred Ledwig – an artist and co-creator of Bolek and Lolek .

Herb green parsley

It was nice to return to the world of Sponge and his friends. While reading, I experienced a kind of transport back in time to my childhood (and the times of the Polish People’s Republic). I absolutely didn’t feel like I was too old to read this book. Funny adventures, engaging dialogues, interesting characters – the author took care of every aspect of his work. This book is full of unusual events and situations, and at the same time it is very sensibly presented. Three adventures in one volume allow us to engage in pleasant reading for a long time, in which, despite numerous obstacles, we always reach a happy ending. This publication also talks a lot about good values, so it should not be surprising that this series is considered a classic of children’s literature.

O, karamba!

There are titles to which one returns with pleasure – for me, this is what this collective edition of the adventures of Baltazar Gąbka will be from now on. I will certainly recommend it to children I know and my own daughter. I don’t know if it’s a matter of learning this story when I was young and the sentiment associated with it, or whether adventure games like this are no longer made nowadays. What a pity.