Magda of Piekny Hill
Magda of Piekny Hill is a Middle Grade Historical Fiction novel of Poland.
Shown below are wycinanki samples similar to what Magda is working on throughout the story. This paper cutting craft will be a useful marketing tool and has already generated interest with a publication in Highlights for Children entitled “Wycinanki Bookmarks.”
Peasant farmers hung sheepskins over their cottage window openings. Some would cut holes in the skins to let in air and light. Before long they realized these practical slits could be pretty designs. This was the beginning of wycinanki, a folk art still popular today. By 1850, shepherds used their sheep shears to snip many shapes out of bark and leather. Polish peasants continued the craft and used paper when it became available. Cottage walls were whitewashed each spring. The old wycinanki was thrown out and new designs were made to decorate walls, shelves and ceiling beams. The first paper-cuts were made using one color, but later artists used many colors. Cutouts usually have equal shapes on each side of the fold. The designs are often from nature, such as plants or animals. Red and white can be used to display Poland’s national colors.
Marcia presents the art of papercutting (above).
GOATS! After her oldest brother takes off down the mountain to fight, Magda misses him terribly, but there is one bright spot to ease her pain. An adorable baby goat is born, the runt of triplets, and Tata has declared it’s to be her very own pet. Throughout the story, Magda’s love for Koza develops and as my critique group proclaimed, children are sure to want a goat of their own before the end of this novel.
Marcia Strykowski 