Dedushka

A young girl recounts her special relationship with her grandpa – Dedushka – in this beautiful and heartwarming picture book.

Her dedushka taught her how to speak.
How to protect their groceries.
How to braid flowers in her hair.
How to cook potatoes from their garden.
He taught her how to love. Family and country.

Through a series of vignettes, Dedushka pays a beautiful homage to the formative years of a Ukrainian girl’s childhood with her grandpa in the city of Kharkiv. Through soft and tender gouache paintings and embroidery, and vivid, wide-eyed prose, new talent Katerina Spaeth weaves a tender yet profound ode to her own 1990s childhood, home, and grandfather, reminding readers of what’s beautiful in life’s smallest moments.