Merkourios Aytzis

From his early years in short pants, he had a special connection with nature and the scents of the countryside. The experiences of this time marked his life, and when he became a teacher and interacted with children, he developed a love for literary books. He studied theater, pursued further education at the Marasleio Teaching School, completed postgraduate studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and holds a master's degree in literature. He frequently visits numerous schools, engaging in discussions with young readers and developing various activities. He has been a member of the Circle of the Greek Children's Book (Greek section of IBBY) since 1998 and served as a Consultant and Curator on its Board of Directors from 2002 to 2014. From 2015 to 2017, he curated the column "Long Live Curiosity!" in the insert 'The Magical World of Children's Books' of the online newspaper Kosvoice.gr. His first writing attempt (1994), the unpublished play "If Children Built Tomorrow," received an award from the Greek Literary Society. Since then, his writings have been included in collections by the Circle of the Greek Children's Book, the Women's Literary Society, and in the book "Language for Fourth Grade - Flying with Words." To date, he has been honored three times, and his book "I Just Want to Play with You" (Hellenic Letters Publishing, 2004) was included in the 2005 White Ravens list of the International Youth Library in Munich. He has collaborated with Minoas and Hellenic Letters Publishing, and two of his books are published by Parrisia Editions.