Description

 4°. [21] with colour illustrations within text, hard card binding with illustrations on the cover and inner sides, green linen spine (Very Good, binding slightly age-toned and worn on corners, old paper label in the upper left corner of the cover, old library stamp in the cover, tiny old staple marks on the upper part of the first two pages, minor staining on some pages, tiny tears in the gutter of the endpapers, some pages as usual with minor folds as a result of storage).

This first post WWII edition of popular didactical poems for toddlers and very small children is accompanied high-quality illustrations. The text was adapted from the 19th century poetry by a versatile author Fran Levstik (1831-1887). 

The name Najdihojca is an imaginative name for a curious toddler. Until today the book remains one of the children’s classics and many kindergartens bear its name. 
The book was edited by, Dr. Marja Borštnik, also called “the first lady of the Slovenian Slavistics”. Borštnik was a professor at the university, the head of the Slavic department and author of over 100 articles on Slavistics.    

The book was designed an illustrated with simple drawings for toddlers by an architect, dancer and graphic designer Marija Vogelnik (1914 – 2008), who studied architecture under Jože Plečnik and painting and graphic design in Belgrade. Vogelnik was one of the most active illustrators of children’s books in Slovenia before and after WWII. In 1975 she wrote and designed a book on the modern dance from the late 19th until mid 1970s.  

The book is a superb example of an innovative children’s book, made in the time of rationing after WWII. Printed on unflashy tan paper, the illustrations in style of children’s drawings were made by using five modest colours only: brown, blue, light brown, green and red.  

The text was reprinted in many other editions and remains widely popular until today. This example comes from the publisher’s de-accessed archive. 
 
References: OCLC 440033660. Ddr. Francka PREMK in Dr. Eva PREMK BOGATAJ, Prof. Dr. Marja Borštnik, 2017. Neubauer, Henrik: VogelnikGrafenauer, Marija (1914–2008). Slovenska biografija. Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti, Znanstvenoraziskovalni center SAZU, 2013. http://www.slovenska-biografija.si/oseba/sbi803931/#slovenski-biografski-leksikon (15. julij 2018). Izvirna objava v: Slovenski biografski leksikon: 14. zv. Vode – Zdešar. Jože Munda et al. Ljubljana, Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti Znanstvenoraziskovalni center SAZU, 1986.