Ignė Zarambaitė, Greta Alice. Mažoji Berta (Little Berta), Vilnius: Nieko rimto, 2025. – 72  p.

This book highlights values important for children – courage, determination, and kindness. The story begins with an introduction to a large family of mice into which a little mouse named Berta is born. Because of her remarkable tail she  becomes known as Longtail. The mouse family lives in an abandoned barn in a small town and must search for food every day. Berta stands out not only because of her long tail but also because of her particularly sensitive and kind heart. Readers will discover how this clever and now well-known heroine becomes a real postwoman – indeed, one of the finest postwomen in the town!

Ignė Zarambaitė (b. 1988) is a Lithuanian writer of children’s and young adult literature and an educator. In 2011, she graduated from Vilnius University with a degree in Management and Business Administration. She lives and works in Šilutė. She is the author of 15 books for children: Skudurinukė (Rag Doll, 2016), Elzė ir senojo dvaro paslaptis (Elzė and the Secret of the Old Manor, 2017), Stebuklingi senelio batai (Grandfather’s Magical Shoes, 2019, Children’s Book of the Year), Emilio laiškas (Emil’s Letter, 2020), Slapta laiškų rašymo agentūra (The Secret Letter-Writing Agency, 2021), Pašto pelyčių nuotykiai Šiaurėje (The Postal Mice Adventures in the North, 2021), Simas ir jo kalavijas (Simas and His Sword, 2021), Debesėlis (Little Cloud, 2022), Manęs nėra (I’m Not Here, 2022), Užkampynė (Cornerland, 2023), the novella for young adults Juodavandeniai (Black Water Sprites, 2023), Grytė iš Pasakų gatvės (Grytė from Fairy Tale Street, 2025); educational books Voveriukas Mukas ir pamestas raktas (Little Squirrel Mukas and the Lost Key, 2021) and Voveriukas Mukas ir Žaliamiškio lobis (Little Squirrel Mukas and the Treasure of Green Forest, with Živilė Kalasauskaitė, 2022). The author’s latest book Mažoji Berta (Little Berta, 2025) was selected among the most cinematic Lithuanian books in the Knyga + kinas (Book + Cinema) competition. The books about the adventures of the little mouse Berta have been translated into Latvian, Estonian, and Ukrainian. For Juodavandeniai (Black Water Sprites, 2023), the author was awarded the Children’s Literature Prize (2021) and the international Jānis Baltvilks Literary Award (2023); her work was also included in the international catalogue The White Ravens (2024).  

Greta Alice (b. 1992) is a book illustrator, graphic designer, and educator. She creates wordless comics and has illustrated numerous books for children and young adults. In 2016 she received the Vytautas Jurkūnas Prize, and in 2018 she was awarded a diploma at the Book Art Exhibition. In 2019 she founded a comics laboratory for children and teenagers at an open youth centre in Vilnius and participates in the project Read Fairy Tales Easily. Her work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad, and she has also undertaken residencies abroad. 

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