Keys and Locks
2026 BRAW Amazing Bookshelf
Written by: Zornitsa Hristova
Illustrated by: Albena Limoni
Hard cover, hot foil embossing with silver foil
Format: 235 x 275 mm
48 pages
ISBN 978-619-93028-5-9
Year of publishing: 2025
For rights guides, sample materials, or to discuss opportunities, please contact:
Slavina Ilieva | rights@dakelche.bg
Everybody knows what a key is and what a key looks like. It is common knowledge that keys are used to open doors, padlocks and anything with a keyhole in it. But things are not as simple as they look. Who invented keys? Where does the desire to lock something up come from? What did the first keys in human history look like?
The book Keys and Locks takes us on a special journey in the universe of these wondrous objects that we see and use every day.
The book is based on an idea by Albena Limoni and it is part of a series of encyclopedias that tell the story of every-day objects. Things that we take for granted but are often unaware of the details of their history.
Keys and Locks is printed on high-quality paper Munken Lynx 120; and for the cover we chose to use hot foil embossing with silver foil as an additional touch. When we designed the book, we aimed to create a paper jewel without precedent in children’s books printing in Bulgaria.
About Zornitsa Hristova:
Zornitsa is an author, translator and editor-in-chief of a children’s news website. Her belief is that one should be gentle with their readers but at the same time be brave enough to take them on a journey. Zornitsa has studied at Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski and at Oxford University. She has won several national awards, among which Hristo G. Danov Award, Peroto Award, and Golden Lion Award. She gladly accepted the invitation by Albena Limoni and Dakelche Publishing House to write the stories that accompany Albena Limoni’s mesmerizing illustrations in the encyclopedia Keys and Locks.
About Albena Limoni:
Albena has more than 10 years of professional experience in book design and visual identity, and her projects include campaigns for Creative Europe Bulgaria, the event Literature Night, Sofia International Kids’ Film Festival and numerous book covers. Together with Kostadin Kokalanov she is the founder of Studio FRANK, an independent artistic studio for graphic design, visual identity, illustration and printed media. Keys and Locks is Albena’s first original book for children as an illustrator.