Then I can find things out for myself from books. Why wait till I start going to school?”

Everything’s written in books. Anyone who can read knows things. And can do everything himself. Doctors know how to cure illnesses from the things they read in books. That’s what Dad says.

If Kaytek knew how to read, Mom would be well.

He’d only have to seek out a good remedy in a book.

Kaytek already knows four letters. He can write a one and a four.

“I’ll give it a try!”

When Kaytek was small, his dad gave him a newspaper.

“Here you are, read that.”

Kaytek looks at the paper and speaks gibberish, which makes saliva fill his mouth: “Etly, fetly, metly.”

He doesn’t understand what “to read” means.

And everyone’s laughing.

Or he makes marks on a piece of paper with a pencil, and thinks he’s writing.

Now he knows it was all a joke.

“Grandma!”

“Aren’t you asleep yet?”

He jumps out of bed and fetches a book – it’s Tom Thumb.

He looks. T-O-M. Three symbols. He counts them: three. There’s an O in the middle. A circle is a letter. So where’s Tom? How do you get Tom?

“Grandma, is it true there’s a letter O in the middle of Tom?”

“Yes, that’s right. Now go to sleep or your father will be angry.”

Kaytek woke up early.

And went straight outside.

He asks a boy who goes to school: “Show me some letters.”

“What do you want them for? You won’t understand anyway.”

Kaytek promises him a reward – a pineapple candy.

“So pay attention. Look.”

He looks hard. He pays attention.

But he can’t understand.

And the boy’s laughing.

“You’re too small. Too dumb.”

Kaytek feels embarrassed.

He didn’t ask any more boys after that. Because girls are more patient.

They explained a little bit.

And his dad did the rest.

“You see. Like that it’s cat, that’s cap, and that’ll be can.”

At last he knows.

He guessed for himself why you have tap and top, why bat and but.

In the street he read: Bar.

Then he read: Milk – Eggs – Beer. Barber.

He reads the store signs, street names, tram tickets, and cigarette packets.

One time it’s easy so he sings and whistles to himself. Another time he’s riled because he can’t do it.

“I’ll buy a school book. Why should I keep having to ask?”

So he started saving money. He saved thirty groshys and lost it because he had a hole in his pocket.

Until his father took pity on him and bought him the book.

“Here you are. Now read. Maybe you won’t go racing around the yard anymore.”

His father guessed right. Kaytek sits and reads.

“He’ll soon get bored.”

His father guessed wrong. Kaytek doesn’t get bored.

He wakes up in the morning and he’s straight into his book. He goes to bed with the book under his pillow.

But best of all he likes reading by the River Vistula.**

He reads and reads until he gets tired and his eyes ache, then he looks at the water, at a cloud, at the boats. He has a rest, and then it’s easy again.

He already kind of knows and can do it – here you read two letters together like a single one.

There are symbols you don’t read at all.

There are big and little letters, handwritten and printed.

But suddenly alongside the easy phrases there’s a tricky one.

Or a word written differently from how it’s said.

Because you say enuff, but you write enough. Why?

Sometimes a word looks familiar, but you have to guess what it means.

There are also new words in books which Kaytek has never heard before.

Because grown-ups use harder words when they talk to each other.

Kaytek is already trying to read the titles at the movies.

Buuuut . . .