This article highlights the aquatic dimension of Eden as the primordial ecosystem of creation and the environment for the (self-)formation of the “first human” (Hebrew: הָאָדָם, hā-’ādām). It examines the process of anthropogenesis as it unfolds alongside the progressive irrigation of the earth (אֲדָמָה, ’ǎdāmāh) and the transformation of desert dust (‘āpār) into a living being. The subject of the study is the process of human (self-)formation against the backdrop of the world’s unfolding. The culminating moment of this process – experienced on the riverbank – is the “first human’s” sense of concern for the world emerging around him, thereby constituting him as a being in the image of God. Hence, the research question is as follows: what constitutes the impulse of human (self-)formation that arrives at the banks of the rivers of Eden following an ontogenetic trajectory through desert and oasis environments? These reflections unfold within the theoretical framework of forest pedagogy, adequate anthropology, and philosophical hermeneutics. This approach aligns with the post-anthropocentric premises of sumbiography, which documents accumulated, life-course experiences of intensified human–nature contact, oriented toward balanced coexistence rather than asymmetrical conflict. The main research method is the exegesis of selected passages from the Book of Genesis (Gen 2:5–10) – understood as a critical analysis and interpretative recontextualization of the historical text.

This study presents the image of river(s) in children’s poetry, focusing primarily on volumes published in the 1970s and 1980s. Despite their age, these texts remain popular through their ongoing presence in educational contexts, including online resources. The article briefly outlines the linguistic image of the river, and then analyses its representation in stanzas addressed to young readers. In these poems, the river is depicted in two ways. First, within its natural environment, the river appears as a being that accompanies humans, behaving and feeling like them, while remaining integrated with its surroundings, it captivates with its beauty. The second image does not depart from this anthropomorphic and aesthetic vision; however, the river (most often the Vistula) additionally functions as a cultureme, connecting humans with their country and nation. These characteristics also provide an answer to the titular question: in children’s poems, rivers are portrayed as persons – embedded in the vast web of life.

This article analyses the interpretative potential of the water motif, specifically rivers and lakes, through four selected works of Polish children’s and young adult literature: Rzeka (2014) by Emilia Kiereś, Jezioro Osobliwości (1966) by Krystyna Siesicka, Rogaś z Doliny Roztoki (1957) by Maria Kownacka, and Ten obcy (1961) by Irena Jurgielewiczowa. Water, as a powerful, untamed, and multifaceted element, is simultaneously essential for life and life-giving, yet also destructive and dangerous. It resists unambiguous classification, both in reality and in literature. Even when it seemingly serves as mere background, water is in fact a fundamental compositional element of the work, inextricably linked to the characters’ fates.

The bidirectional coexistence water’s of semantic implications as both “flow” and “resistance” reveals the antinomic nature of aquatic symbolism in children’s poetry. By examining selected poems by Józef Ratajczak, Jerzy Ficowski, and Danuta Wawiłow, this study offers a comprehensive analysis of the semantic tension surrounding water (more precisely streams, seas, or metonymically—drops, puddles, rain) – positioned between its therapeutic and corruptive potential, freedom and constraint, carefreeness and anxiety, knowledge and mystery, loss and epiphany. Concurrently, water emerges as a metaphorical equivalent for the dynamism and spontaneity of the child’s imagination, shaping the “fluid” boundaries between reality and fantasy. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Gaston Bachelard and Gilbert Durand, the article highlights the transgressive nature of aquatic imagery, which resists rigid semantic dichotomies.

The river, as a current of the unconscious expressing the complexity of the psyche, is embodied in symbolic images found both in fairy tales and in Chinese landscape art. In Chinese landscape painting, which conveys the philosophical message of the Tao, water is always present alongside seven other elements, together forming the unity of all things. In folk tales, it guides protagonists through the process of individuation, helping them to mature inwardly and find their place in reality. Literature and art speak of the benevolent quality of water, the archetypal mother who carries one through the most difficult experiences. Therefore, meditating on the images preserved in fairy tale traditions should become for us what contemplating the landscape and Taoist philosophy is for people of the East.

The article proposes an “aquatic” and “fluvial” reading of Baśnie i legendy kaliskie by Eligiusz Kor-Walczak, treating the river as a vehicle of cultural memory and local identity. The analyses focus on the Prosna River and its catchment. Descriptions of flowing and standing waters (rivers, springs, wetlands) and their biotopes serve to interpret human–hydrosystem relations from historical, symbolic, and educational perspectives. The study combines literary scholarship with hydrological terminology and hydraulic engineering, identifying the river’s principal functions: natural (the biodiversity of the river valley), civilizational (fluvial transport, including timber rafting), utilitarian (water supply and hygiene), and cultural-mnemonic (the river as a witness to history and as the genius loci of a fantastical imaginary and Slavic demonology). The analysis also considers multisensory experiences (sounds, smells), references to extreme events (droughts, floods), and traces of the Anthropocene. The proposed approach has a didactic dimension: it encourages working with a regional text as an impetus for field-based and cross-curricular projects (Polish language – natural sciences – environmental education) that anchor knowledge of the “little homeland” in the real landscape of the river valley. Consequently, the river emerges as a dynamic “site of memory,” and the aquatic reading becomes a tool for integrating the humanities with environmental sciences in school education.

The article concerns field education based on a narrative that emerges from experiencing a place and combines natureculture narratives with cultural, historical, and environmental memory. In this cognitive practice, the experience of presence is crucial: moving, observing, listening, interpreting, smelling, and touching are understood as ways of participating in the world. In the field, the teacher may therefore be not only a researcher but also a storyteller who combines knowledge with their own experience of space. The author translates this way of thinking into the structure of the text, whose structure takes the form of stories inspired by moving around the Warsaw Uprising Mound. She draws on the methodologies of the new humanities, especially ecocriticism and environmental humanities, emphasizing the concepts such as biocommunity, place, humus, and environmental memory.

This article is dedicated to the German writer Ruth Storm (1905–1993), born in Katowice, whose literary work is situated within the context of the multicultural heritage of Upper and Lower Silesia and Vertreibungsliteratur (expellee literature). Special focus is given to the lesser-known part of her oeuvre: literature for children and young adults-especially her novel Glück muss man haben. Abenteuer zweier Freunde (1992). The study explores how Storm transforms personal experiences of displacement and trauma into a literary coming-of-age narrative, with a central theme of human–animal relationships. The text is analyzed through the lens of children’s literature and animal studies, highlighting the emotional, educational, and ethical dimensions of Storm’s work. The article also reflects on Storm’s marginal presence in the literary Silesian cultural memory and her absence from German-language children’s literature.

The aim of the article is to compare Małgorzata Musierowicz’s statements regarding the motives behind establishing and managing her official website (musierowicz.com.pl), published on the site itself, with the author's reflections on her only autobiographical book: Tym razem serio. Opowieści prawdziwe (1994). The first part of the article presents excerpts from blog entries and accompanying comments published by Musierowicz on her official website, in which she discusses the reasons for launching the site and identifies it as a reliable source of information about the author of the Jeżycjada series and her work. The second part explores Musierowicz's critical remarks on her autobiography, which she considers too concise and superficial. The analysis of these statements aims to demonstrate how a writer can shape their image both online and offline, and construct an extraliterary archive that constitutes a valuable resource for researchers of authors’ lives and literary output.

The interpretation of I. D. Górewicz’s books Borek i bogowie Słowian and Borek i legen­darne początki Polski presented in the article is an attempt to highlight the multilayered content within these interesting and noteworthy works intended for young readers. The author’s approach to Slavic themes deserves recognition, particularly for his commitment to maintaining consistency with historiographical, archaeological, and scholarly sources. By applying the framework from Antoni Smuszkiewicz’s Retoryka współczesnej polskiej powieści historycznej dla dzieci i młodzieży, this analysis underscores the merits of these books and positions them as a significant educational project. Transported alongside the protagonist into the Slavic past, the reader is able to experience both a sense of adventure and a deeper engagement with psychological themes.

This article discusses a valuable publication for teenagers entitled A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader, which contains over a hundred letters written to young readers by famous people from the worlds of culture and science. These letters are accompanied by works from world-famous illustrators. The eight-year project was initiated by Maria Popova – author, creator of the Brain Pickings (now The Marginalian) blog, and a commentator on literature, philosophy, science, and art – and co-edited by Claudia Bedrick. It was published in New York in 2018. The analysis considers the book’s promotion, cover, title, as well as its overall content, illustrations, and letters. Particular attention is given to selected author/illustrator pairings, including Jacqueline Woodson and Lary Hawthorne, and Adam Gopnik and Beatrice Alemagna. The purpose of this overview is to encourage readers to explore A Velocity of Being for themselves.

The article aims to present the characteristic features of an unconventional character in books for young readers. It focuses on the figure of the child detective in educational crime fiction, drawing on two series of novels as examples. The author highlights to the growing interest in the crime genre and points to writers’ attempts to use it in texts for children and young adults. The article offers a comparative analysis of the similarities and differences between traditional detectives in crime novels and their counterparts in the works of Alan Bradley and Robin Stevens. It also examines the functions of selected literary devices in employed this type of text and emphasises their educational value, including the promotion of chemical knowledge. The analysis of the characters Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong and Flavia de Luce leads to the conclusion that Bradley and Stevens use their novels to draw attention to the problem of underestimating and infantilising children.