Text by Olga Vasilkova, illustrated by Elena Repetur
The weight of family expectations is always heavy, but add to that your own expectations and your school, and it becomes almost unbearable. Especially if you are quite young –a young cheetah who can’t run.
The little cheetah didn’t know how to run. His mum and the other cheetahs would just say “Heh!”. They kept saying “Heh!” until it became his name, and the name stuck. Heh had very long legs – as any other fast-running cheetah– but he also had many thoughts: “What if I start running and fail?”, “Does the right foreleg go first or the left one?”, “What if I fall down?” And he was falling – again and again. Running exams at the school were drawing near, but how would he pass them? One morning, Heh just turned and let his long legs carry him away from school. While wandering through the savanna daydreaming, he met many strange animals. All of them had different skills, they talked to the little cheetah in their own, different way, and each had their own advice on how to get better at running.
Another title in this series - Rupert the Giraffe or the Cheetah’s Birthday - tells the story of Cheetah's friend Rupert the Giraffe, who tried to transform himself so as not to be so typical.
PRIZES 2021Winner of the International Book Illustration Festival MORS (Russia)
KEY SELLING POINTS
Excessive thoughts, anxiety, family expectations, stress at school make life complicated.
Quirky characters like an ostrich, rhinoceros and even someone with a tail of a mouse.
Vibrant illustrations by the finalist of BCBF Illustrators Exhibition 2020 and winner of Landscapes and Portraits of BCBF 2023.
For beginning readers.
The first title in the series of short stories, featuring animals as the main characters, about growing up when you are very sensitive.
Early reader book Age: 5+ Pages: 64 Size: 195*215 mm Published in 2021 by Albus Corvus
