Silent Night, My Astronaut
The First Days (And Nights) of the War in Ukraine
Age 5+
Picture Books Social Issues: War & Conflict Issues
A powerful picture book story of the first ten days of the War in Ukraine, narrated by a 7 year-old girl, by award-winning Ukrainian author Oksana Lushchevska.
The winner of an All Ukrainian Best Book award, this picture book is a powerful and uplifting introduction to the War in Ukraine from a child's perspective.
The evening is long. It’s silent outside. We love silent.
The most important thing is for the sirens not to howl.
It is a bright day in February, but 7 year-old Ia and her family are in the dark. Church bells are ringing, sirens are screaming. The War has begun. Ia holds her astronaut doll close, and she wonders if there's a super powerful astronaut in the sky keeping her safe.
A beautiful and powerful fully-illustrated picture book diary of the first ten days of the War in Ukraine that is full of love, hope and faith in peace.
10% of proceeds from the UK version of the book will be donated to Voices of Children, a Ukrainian charitable foundation that supports families affected by the war in Ukraine
Creators
Oksana Lushchevska is a Ukrainian writer and translator. She is an active member of PEN UKRAINE and the author of fifty children’s and young adult books. Her books have won a number of children’s literature awards, including a shortlist for the BBC Children’s Book Award. Oksana has a PhD in Education and has taught children’s literature at the University of Georgia. She has also written translations of translator of both Eric Carle and Julia Donaldson's picture books. Oksana lives in State College, Pennsylvania, USA.
Kateryna Stepanishcheva is a Ukrainian illustrator and textile designer. She has illustrated a number of children’s books and dozens of pieces for various children’s magazines for international markets. She adores Ukrainian calligraphy and linocut. Kateryna lives in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Reviews
Gorgeous and unusual
The Bookseller
A beautifully judged tale of war for young children… while the narration is vivid, it is never disturbing – for Ia’s focus is more on war’s consolations than its dangers
Daily Telegraph
powerful, deeply moving… Carefully chosen words and distinctive, stylised illustrations, flooded with the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag, create a real sense of the child’s experience of the war, as well as the Ukrainian people’s resilience, and of hope for the future
LoveReading4Kids
