Allies, a book for children about the liberation of Pilsen

A new illustrated children's book about the liberation of Pilsen by the American army was presented by the Pilsen writer and illustrator Tereza Marianová on Tuesday 22 April 2025 in the Art Nouveau café and restaurant Beseda 1901. Allies is being released as part of the events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and will also inspire one of the other activities in the Pilsen celebrations programme, an interactive trail for children and their parents.
The richly illustrated book tells the stories of two boys whose lives are separated by decades of the twentieth century. Yet they are very close to each other and through the story they become allies. "Ten-year-old Francis and his grandfather have a secret, an American helmet that Francis found in the attic. Even though it's 1984 and some things are not talked about, Grandpa Bohumil decides it's time to tell his grandson the truth," suggested Tereza Marianova.
The idea for the book “The Liberation of Pilsen by the American Army and the Age of Totalitarianism” came from the organisers of the Festival of Freedom, which has been commemorating the liberation of Pilsen by soldiers of the 3rd American Army since 1990. "But this was not the case during the period of communist totalitarianism, when, according to many witnesses, teachers in schools claimed that the city was liberated by the Red Army, but children knew different stories from the stories told in their families. This is what Tereza Marianová's new book is about," said Jana Komišová, head of the marketing department at the Pilsen City Hall.
"Thanks to my great-grandmother and grandmother, who both taught Czech language and history, I have had a relationship with history and storytelling since childhood. And I consider storytelling across generations to be very important. Nowadays, when families are getting smaller and many children don't see their grandparents that often, I would like to remind them of the importance of family storytelling, preserving continuity, in short, promoting the relationship between grandchildren and grandparents," the author explained, adding, She said that in creating the book, she took care to ensure that all the facts and illustrations were historically accurate and verified, and that the book provides a good picture of what it was like in southwestern Bohemia when the Americans were here in 1945 and the people of Czechoslovakia were regaining their freedom.
For the Freedom Celebration, Tereza Marianova is also preparing an interactive, fun and educational trail for children and their parents, inspired by the book Allies. With ten chapters and an epilogue, it is richly illustrated and inspires further enquiries. It can be walked from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 May in Smetana Sady and a little surprise awaits all those who complete the challenges and reach the finish line.
Tereza Marianová (*31 August 1993 in Plzeň)
Illustrator, painter and book author, graduated from the Faculty of Design and Art of Ladislav Sutnar, studio of Illustration and Graphics. She has written and drawn original books for children and curious adults: about Czech hunting, To jsem z to z to deer, The Big Story of Great Pardubice, poetic leporellas How the Horse Lost, the plant trilogy Květolelo, Křeolelo, Stromolelo and a book about urban animals called Uličníci. Her books have been included in the prestigious list of the Best Books for Children (2019, 2020, 2023) and Czech books for children and young adults 2020 - 2022. In 2023, she presented her collective illustration work at the Brothers Špillarů Gallery in Domažlice, and in the Old Synagogue in Plzeň she exhibited a set of paintings called KOD - landscapes of courage and adventure. Her works have travelled around the world as part of exhibitions of the illustration studio of the Faculty of Design and Art of Ladislav Sutnar, for example to Washington, Zagreb or Pyongyang during the 2018 Winter Olympics.
More information about the artist.