Coming August 20th, 2024 from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers; 40 pages
Content Warning: Mentions of war
About the Author: “Anna Desnitskaya graduated from the Moscow State University of Printing Arts and has been working as a children’s book illustrator, with a predilection for non-fiction, ever since. She is the author-illustrator of On the Edge of the World (Samokat, 2023), and illustrator of Around the World in 24 Farmers’ Markets by Maria Bakhareva (Samokat, 2021), Transsib by Alexandra Litvina (Samokat, 2020), Gina from Siberia by Jane Bernstein and Charlotte Glynn (Animal media Group, 2018), The Apartment by Alexandra Litvina, (Samokat, 2016), and The History of Transport by Alexandra Litvina (Peshkombooks, 2015). Anna is inspired by daily life itself, with all its complexity and diversity, which she conveys in the books she illustrates. She combines manual and digital techniques which help her to create large detailed compositions. Her works have received awards and recognition including The Original Art 2023, The Society of Illustrators; the 2022 and 2019 AOI World Illustration Award; the 2019 Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition; the 2017 Bratislava Biennale. In 2018, she was Russia’s nominee for the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world’s largest award for children’s literature. Amid the turmoil in Russia in 2022, Anna and her family made the decision to leave their longtime home of Moscow. After several months in Israel, they now live in Montenegro” (Bio from Debbi Bibo Agency Website).
Find Anna Desnitskaya on the following platforms:
A Star Shines Through follows a little girl who finds herself in a new country after war forces her and her family to flee their home. Anna Desnitskaya writes in remembrance of her own experience, and this book serves as her goodbye to her home through the eyes of a vulnerable child. The young girl in this picture book feels alone in a place with different customs, foods, and languages. She misses the comfort of her former home where a cardboard star shone in the window. The cardboard star was a lamp that could be seen from afar as the young girl returned home at the end of the day. Together, the young girl and her mother work to make a new star and establish a new life in this new place.
A Star Shines Through is a fascinating read that showcases a serious change in a young girl’s life with hope and understanding. Desnitaskaya’s illustrations create an enchanting setting for the story, with dark colors to represent confusion and loneliness and yellow light to illuminate budding excitement and newfound happiness. The young girl, while unnamed, has an honesty to her narrative that makes it easy to connect and build an understanding of her thoughts and emotions. She has no resentment towards her family for being forced to leave their home, which shows the developing maturity of a child growing up too soon. While the story begins with a heartbreaking element, the hope that comes from changing one thing—in this case, a star in the window—demonstrates the way that people can ground themselves in a new life. Desnitaskaya’s story was beautifully told through both art and narration that emphasize the importance of home and comfort. The story is simplistic and easy to follow but has a deep meaning, highlighting the thoughtfulness that Desnitaskaya put into the story. Desnitaskaya’s story demonstrates that any child who is having a hard time adjusting to a new change can move forward by adapting their perspective and adding something that brings light and comfort to their life.
A Star Shines Through releases on August 20th, 2024
Pine Reads Review would like to thank Eerdmans Books for Young Readers for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Hannah Goerndt, Pine Reads Review Writer