The Little Light of Dušičky

The Little Light of Dusičky: A Czech Story of Memory, Love, and a Forgotten GraveEvery year before Dusičky, the Czech observance of All Souls' Day, Anička and her grandmother walk to the village cemetery together. They sweep away autumn leaves, wash old stones clean, and set fresh flowers beneath the names of the family they love.But this year, tucked behind a lilac bush, Anička finds something she wasn't looking for: a grave no one seems to remember. No flowers. No candle. Just a name, worn almost smooth by time - Marie Nováková.Nobody in the village can say who she was. But Anička decides that doesn't mean Marie should be forgotten. With one small candle and a single flower borrowed from her own family's basket, she gives a stranger something she never expected to receive again: a light of her own.Set against the quiet beauty of a Czech village in autumn, The Little Light of Dusičky introduces young readers to Dusičky, celebrated every November 2nd, and to the customs behind it: cleaning family graves, lighting candles, and remembering those who came before us. Woven throughout are gentle Czech words and phrases, including a glossary in the back matter to help families read and pronounce them together, along with a short history of All Souls' Day and its surprising connection to Halloween.Perfect for children curious about Czech heritage, family traditions around the world, and the many ways cultures honor memory and loss, this is a story for grandparents and grandchildren to read together, and to return to every autumn.A tender, beautifully told picture book about kindness, remembrance, and the belief that no name deserves to disappear.