Silkboy

Kiriakos Haritos

METAICHMIO Publications

Shortlisted for the prize of the electronic journal hartismag

Shortlisted for the prize for Picture Book και Graphic Novel of IBBY – Circle of the Greek Children’s Book

A whimsical tale of love and acceptance. It’s a story about a boy made of silk who goes out into the world, gets hurt by the mob and then is “repaired’ by the care of a boy tailor…who “fixes” him. The young tailor, however, doesn’t have silk… only cotton… but it’s ok… tears dry easier on cotton. It’s a coming-of-age story, a celebration of being different and accepted as such and of the healing power of love.

This is a story about the essence of being human; about our deepest selves, the need to belong and be reflected onto others. Written in a timeless voice; this book calls for a multitude of readings. Above all, it is an ode to the healing power of compassion.

Kiriakos Haritos was born in Chalkida and raised in Australia. He studied in Athens and later in the UK, where he worked as an actor for the touring theatre “physical comedy”. He has written five children’s books, each of which were nominated for the National Children Literature Award and the National Illustrated Book Award. His sixth book, Imagine that (2022) by METAICHMIO Publications was awarded the National Children Literature Award.

Silkboy is being translated into Italian and Korean.

Vassilis Koutsogiannis was born in Athens in 1992 and studied Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens. He worked in Paris, exploring artistic applications of architecture, primarily in museum spaces. His passion for drawing and graphic arts led him to the world of illustration and publishing in 2015, where he discovered a deep fascination for children’s books—one even greater than the excitement he felt for them as a child.