Keep cool, Lukas by Max Dedik and illustrated by Artem Sklyar
An epic tale of friendship! A new illustrated children's book is now available to buy at Amazon!
I am so thrilled to be able to finally share "Keep cool, Lukas" with the world in 2023!
Apart from the immense pleasure, writing this book took me on a wonderful journey back to my childhood. The time when life was simpler, when the world around us was an exciting expanse waiting to be explored, the world of adventure and fun.
First and foremost, this book is about friendship. For a kid, a true friend is, like in symmetry, your almost identical reflection. This is what Egon, one of the three main characters, had been searching for a very long time. When yet another Christmas does not bring the one gift he had been wishing for, Egon decides to make one on his own. And so he does. From ice. The Christmas days being all about magic; his ice creation comes to life. Lukas enters the story and changes Egon's life, which is now full of fun, games and new friends, even amongst those Egon wouldn't even consider.
Lukas is a boy of an excellent sense of humour, a mind-reader and a capital practical joker. Creating being his favourite thing, he uses ice and magic to build automobiles, cranes, towers, catapults, canons, and even aircraft. He even has the courage to challenge Egon’s schoolmate nemesis, Gretchen, a pushy and arrogant girl who bossed everyone around.
Friendship is also about the willingness to go to any length to help your friend when he gets into trouble. Even if that means you will have to part ways. A fiercely warm winter brings the children’s fun to an abrupt end when it becomes clear that Lukas will not survive unless they help him reach the mountains where it is always below zero, and leave him there.
A true friendship doesn’t end. Lukas is safe, Lukas will be back. Sooner than you expect.
I hope you will enjoy this Christmas story.
Here you can download first three chapters from “Keep cool, Lukas”.