According to an informal poll of 11-year-olds at Riverside School, the most popular book among that set is Dášenka by Karel Čapek — the same author whose seminal work Talks with T.G. Masaryk is considered a masterpiece of political biography.

Kids love Čapek's tribute to his terrier puppy. The book, brimming with the author's drawings and photographs, meanders into fairy tales the great author penned for his little dog. ("Now, if you sit quietly, Dášeňka, and don't move, I'll tell you a story about why terriers dig holes ...")

Unfortunately, calls to six Prague bookshops failed to produce an English translation, even though Riverside students insist they've seen English-language versions of the book. But don't let that stop you from looking.

Intended for preschoolers and young readers, Josef's collection of 11 stories titled All About Doggie and Pussycat and How They Kept House and All Sorts of Other Things is quirky, filled with nonsense like the nightgown that must undress before going to bed. Black-and-white line drawings flecked with spot color are sprinkled throughout. The same 11 stories can be purchased singly, in full color with a child-size binding.

One story, A Doggie And A Pussycat: How They Put On A Play and What Happened on St. Nicholas Day, is a treat with real flavor. Doggie and Pussycat engage some human children in a game of pretend. The children surprise Doggie and Pussycat with their own theatrics, arriving at the animals' house dressed as St. Nicholas and an angel. "They did not take the Devil with them, because they did not want Doggie and Pussycat to get scared," Čapek writes.

Babička (Granny), the classic written by Božena Němcová, is a favorite. Published in 1855, it is a fictionalized account of the author's childhood in northeast Bohemia.

Rarely sticky sweet or sentimental, the novel contains tragedy, despair and a girl, Viktorka, lost to her own impulses. Babička herself is no pushover, raising her grandchildren with equal parts love and cunning.

The joy of Babička is its versatility as a read-aloud book with well-drawn characters and historical references adults can enjoy. "I like how she wrote it, the style," says Veronika Steinerová, a Riverside student who gave the book a hefty two thumbs up.

Veronika's classmate Šimon Kratky recommends The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud. The book upends the stereotypes of the "good magician" and "bad demon," casting the sarcastic egomaniac demon Bartimaeus in a positive light while proving the magicians to be corrupt.

Šimon heartily approves of the holiday favorite about another villain-turned-hero, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. "I like the Grinch because he's half-good and half-bad, and Christmas makes the town so friendly. Suddenly, you believe — it's amazing," he says of the Dr. Seuss classic, first published in 1957.

Grown-ups are recommending Three Golden Keys as a gift book for children. The title is already flying off the shelves and even sold out everywhere in Prague (though new copies are expected to arrive in time for holiday giving). The author, Peter Sis, a Czech native now living in New York City, tells the story of a man in a hot-air balloon who, blown off course, lands in the city of his youth. A cat leads him through Prague's silent streets in search of the three golden keys that will unlock the door to his past.