Twenty years of Berry and Dolly

BEGINNINGS: The first volume of my Berry and Dolly series was published in 2004 by the Pozsonyi Pagony publishing house. At the time, I was still working in a studio as an architect, and I wrote and drew my stories in the evenings. The Berry and Dolly series was warmly received by families with small children; it soon became a true favourite for the very young, and its popularity spread by word of mouth. The first volume was followed by many others, and a self-developing, love-nourished series unfolded as a result. At the time, Hungarian children’s book publishing was in hibernation, a vacuum of sorts; and I was delighted to find myself in the middle of it all. From the very beginning to this day, I have put my heart and soul and my full conviction into trying to offer the very best, both in text and in illustration. I have always taken the language very seriously, keeping in mind that the very young should understand and absorb what is being said, and that drawing has an even more marvellous expressive power than words. To this day, I draw freehand; I believe you can convey more emotion with two lines than with a long speech.

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STORYTELLING EVENTS: For more than twenty years I have been striving to offer a loving anchor to the very young; I hope that my work finds attentive ears and loving hearts. The drawing desk and the company of children are my true realm. I hold many storytelling events all over the country, near and far, and even beyond the borders. These meetings always fill my heart with joy. Meeting the very young and receiving loving feedback from families makes being a storyteller worthwhile. I would like to thank Zsolt Richly for his kind words: “There are many different kinds of storytellers. Some, in their stories, are actually addressing adults. There are those who lean down to children, yet still speak to them from a distance, as adults. Erika Bartos, however, not only bends down, but crouches among the kids, almost becoming one with them; every fibre of her being resonates with the very young who are taking in the story.”

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THEMES OF THE SERIES: The Berry and Dolly series is intended for nursery and kindergarten age children; with themes drawn from the simple events of everyday life. The two main characters are Berry, the little snail boy, and Dolly, the little ladybird girl. I have woven an individual personality for every character, and I have designed a unique little house for each of them. The stories deal with the joys, difficulties and conflicts of the very young. The books also explore many difficult topics such as teasing, envy, fear, sleep problems and guilt, and I have touched on more sensitive subjects as well: the episode titled Star Girl has found its place among the most beautiful stories about passing away. I have also come up with the character of Moon Beetle, who uses a wheelchair, who was described by Tímea Koós-Lukács, Communications Director of the Hungarian Federation of Recreational Sports for People with Disabilities, as follows: “It is heart-warming how, through the character of Moon Beetle, the theme of disability also appears in the Berry and Dolly stories: naturally, kindly, encouraging helping and togetherness. There is perhaps no better way to convey the importance of understanding and acceptance to the most receptive age group!” In my Berry and Dolly stories, acceptance always plays an important role, but it is perhaps lesser known that I have also published numerous supportive books aimed at children struggling with serious difficulties. Several volumes of my Berry and Dolly series have also been published in Braille, and are available in the form of Sign Tales as well. I presented the scientific background of the characters in the volume titled Who’s Who?

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PUPPETRY: Puppetry has been part of the Berry and Dolly stories from the very beginning. Right at the start of the series, I sewed the characters as glove puppets, made the houses out of cardboard, and my husband and I acted out the stories with puppets in countless libraries. These were happy, uplifting, wonderfully joyful experiences. Later, for the tenth anniversary of the series, I also created a puppet book, which I illustrated with puppet scenes instead of drawings. Eventually, a puppet exhibition was born from these sets, which set off on a travelling tour and has since received invitations to many venues. The Berry and Dolly puppet exhibition received the Museum Patron Award in Odorheiu Secuiesc, as well as a certificate at the Subotica International Festival of Children's Theatres. Ottó Foky (creator of Mirr-Murr) wrote the following about my puppets: “The enchanting, fairy-tale characters of Erika Bartos evoke the most beautiful period of my childhood. The puppets my mother used to sew for me from the scraps in her rag basket return in renewed garb to the timeless world of innocence, evoking a state where the simple truth of fairy tales is reality.” Over the years, several excellent puppet adaptations were produced based on the Berry and Dolly series, such as those by the Kolibri Puppet Theatre, the Csiky Gergely Theatre in Kaposvár, the Móricz Zsigmond Theatre in Nyíregyháza, and the performance by Kultkikötő .

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CRAFT BOOKS: Crafting with hands is an integral part of the lives of the very young. That is why I created the Berry and Dolly activity book, in which children are faced with countless easier and more challenging tasks. I also produced the Treasures of the Snail House book to encourage creative work; in which families can find ideas for making simple craft projects. To my great joy the volume was awarded the Libri Prize. The cookbook Berry and Dolly’s Delicacies is intended to celebrate the joy of baking and cooking together; anyone can easily make the cakes featured in it. In both the creative books and the cookbook, my goal was to ensure that the materials could be obtained simply and cheaply, and that carrying out the projects would not be a problem. I made everything several times over in order to refine the techniques.

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BOARD GAMES: In the first years of childhood, board games also play an important developmental role. I really enjoy designing and drawing board games, and I have woven countless themes into these games: the changing of seasons, jigsaw and matching exercises, and logic questions. I worked particularly hard on the Seasons board game, and I was delighted when it received the Toy of the Country title. Since then, additional Berry and Dolly games have received this prestigious recognition, most recently the Months board game in 2023.

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SLIDE FILMS: The role of the Berry and Dolly series can be clearly seen in the resurgence of Hungarian children’s literature in the early 2000s. Likewise, Hungarian slide film production came back to life with the Berry and Dolly series, after more than ten years of hibernation. This was the first slide film to be made using modern digital technology, reviving this childlike, loving and peaceful genre.

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ANIMATED FILM: It was again the Berry and Dolly series that broke the silence in Hungarian animation: after a break of almost twenty years, it was from this series – which by then already counted as a success on the book market – that the first animated series was made. In 2009, Kedd Animation Studio approached me with the idea of adapting the stories for the screen, and we have been working together ever since; I could not dream of a better film partner, and I have learnt a great deal from our collaboration. I would like to thank Géza M. Tóth, head of the animation studio, for his words: “Erika’s story world is not like most children’s books, where everything is decorated on with an adult mindset; instead, every little line, little slipper, little house is made in such a way that there is a story within. I consider it a decidedly brave gesture that someone would dare create something so naïve and pure.” The cartoon is inseparably linked with the magical voice of Judit Pogány, who spoke about our collaboration at the first premiere: “When it became known in my circle of acquaintances that I was working on the voiceovers of the Berry and Dolly animated series, it became clear to me that there was practically no one who did not know and boundlessly love the book series. It’s impossible not to love it. This extremely pure and colourful style, drawn with wonderful insight into human nature and with humour, is incredibly popular with children. It was easy to find inspiration in Erika’s books, as the colours, the shapes, the whole atmosphere of the books is magical and enchanting.” The Berry and Dolly animated film has won numerous national and international awards: it received the Audience Award at the Kecskemét Film Festival, won the Premio Cartoon Kids prize in Italy, the Short Film Award at the Jiangyin International Film Festival, the Jury Prize at the Xi’an Festival, and it was also screened at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival. Six seasons of the animated series have already been released in cinemas.

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BEYOND THE BORDERS: I have travelled to many parts of the world with my Berry and Dolly series. I have told stories to the very young in several Hungarian-inhabited regions beyond the borders, always with immense joy: In Odorheiu Secuiesc, Miercurea Ciuc, Sfântu Gheorghe, Dunajská Streda, Lendava, Veľké Kapušany... It was a tremendous joy for me when, in Subotica, Lívia Joó-Horti, member of the Hungarian National Council of Vojvodina and Chair of its Public Education Committee, said: “For Hungarian families with small children living in all corners of the world, the common denominator today is the works of Erika Bartos.” 

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IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES: Over the years, the world has opened up to my books; I have received enquiries from many countries. Some of my tales are now available in various foreign languages: in German, Romanian, Slovak, Czech, Chinese, Turkish, Latvian, Vietnamese; and some volumes are also available in English. It is an exciting process: with as many stories as there are countries. As a guest of the Turkish publisher, in 2013 I was able to visit the Istanbul Book Festival, where I also held a storytelling event for Turkish children; and it was a wonderful experience. I have received invitations from countless countries; I have taken part in writer–reader meetings in Gothenburg, London and Brussels alike. With the wider publication of the books, it became increasingly necessary to obtain protection for my works. I submitted my application to the Intellectual Property Office and received the requested trademark, which makes it clear that every detail of my tales – the illustrations, texts and characters – enjoys trademark protection. For my conscious protection of copyright, I was awarded the Millennium Prize in 2023.

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CHARITABLE ACTIVITY: The Berry and Dolly series supports numerous charitable causes. Several years ago, I launched my own initiative, through which, twice a year on Children’s Day and at Christmas, I raffle off gift packages among kindergartens that apply and are in modest financial circumstances. I fund the initiative exclusively from my own resources; without any government support or sponsorship. I strive, to the best of my ability, to contribute to the well-being of others, and in recognition of my charitable activities, I have received certificates of appreciation from both the Hungarian Red Cross and the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta. I have supported the initiatives of numerous children’s clinics, and I am honoured that Berry and Dolly have been painted on the walls of several children’s hospitals.

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FOR THE TWENTIETH YEAR: The Berry and Dolly series celebrated its tenth birthday in 2014. Pagony Publishing surprised me with a full day of events and a beautiful, giant cake, for which I am grateful. In 2024, the series is already celebrating its 20th birthday. I am preparing several special storybooks, and I hope they will bring joy to the very young. The two lift-the-flap books were particularly exciting to create; putting them together was a veritable logical challenge. Also completed for 2024 is a trio of mini books; the tiny 6×6 cm books present the characters and houses of the series. The third new work is a Berry and Dolly look-and-find book, and the summer of 2024 also saw the nursery-rhyme colouring book published, followed in autumn 2024 by the book titled Harry the Hedgehog’s Dream, with three new stories. 2024 is rounded off by a special Berry and Dolly book entitled WHO’S WHO?, which introduces the little bugs in their natural environment. Now that the series is already 20 years old, I happily feature the young characters in my other books as well, as a small surprise for young readers. For example, Berry and Dolly appear in my Healing Kiss books, sometimes in the Bruno series, and also in some of my charitable books.

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AWARDS: Over the course of my career thus far, I have received many awards and honours: the Golden Book Award, the Pro Familiis award – I am grateful for each and every one of them. I am delighted to have won the Hungarian Master of Children’s Culture Award in 2025. First and foremost, however, I am grateful to the families with small children who lovingly leaf through my books, time and again giving meaning to my work. After more than two decades, it is no longer uncommon at public readings for young parents to tell me that they grew up with my books and now read them to their own children. It is hard for me to find words at times like these. It is an honour to have been part of many families’ bedtime story moments, and an honour to have a place on so many people’s shelves. I am incredibly grateful for that. I am also thankful for every kind word and for the children’s drawings I regularly receive and treasure. Next to my drawing table hangs a picture I was given at a storytelling event in Dobrovnik, at a school in the Prekmurje region. Every pupil drew themselves, and they stuck the little figures around Berry and Dolly’s house. That’s what I consider real success.

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