Kasia's Surprise

A heartwarming story about a feisty young Polish girl determined to be unhappy in her new life in England - but who finds herself settling in despite herself.

Kasia wishes that she and her mum hadn't moved to the UK - she misses Poland and all her old friends, and most of all she misses her grandparents. As the long school holidays stretch out in front of her, Kasia wonders how she'll fill them: her mum has promised to take her out for some day trips, but the rest of the time she'll be at work. Then Babcia and Dzadek arrive for a surprise visit, and Kasia is delighted! As she proudly shows her grandparents round her new town, Kasia realises that maybe she's happier here than she thought.

• A beautiful story about finding yourself

About The Author

Stella Gurney lives in South London with her husband and two sons. She has worked in children's publishing as both a copywriter and an editor and now writes full time. This is her second Walker Story - her first was My Dad, the Hero, illustrated by Katharine McEwen.

About The Illustrator

Petr Horacek is a Czech born illustrator who studied for six years at the Academy of Fine Art in Prague before become a graphic designer, painter and author-illustrator. Now living in England, he made his publishing debut with Strawberries Are Red and What is Black and White? Working in a mixture of media, he loves to explore the bookmaking process with a style that is both bold and naïve, and full of startling colour. His other books include When the Moon Smiled , a bedtime counting book, and A New House for Mouse, about a tiny mouse who comes across a large apple. Kitty Flynn, writing in Horn Book, commented that Horácek's "color-rich, heavily textured watercolor and cut-paper collages add much to the simple story," making A New House for Mouse a book that will "quickly satisfy story-hour cravings."