A Star Shines Through

by Anna Desnitskaya

An poignant story about a displaced family making a home in the aftermath of war.

​We used to live in a big city. In our apartment window was a star-shaped lamp, shining through the cold. I could recognize home from far away. But then the war began, and we left for another country. Everything is different here—the food, the language, even Mom and me. Today Mom bought us a package of scissors, glue, and cardboard. Can we make this place feel a little more like home?  

Narrated by a young refugee, A Star Shines Through illustrates the long process of healing with an evocative palette of blues and yellows. This resonant book shows how making art can create a sense of hope and belonging, even in a new and different place.

Genres: Picture Books, War, Childrens, Immigration, Family, Fiction, Ukraine

40 pages, Hardcover

Published August 20, 2024

About the author

Анна Десницкая — московская художница, иллюстратор, коллажист. Выпускница Московского государственного университета печати.

Anna Desnitskaya (Moscow, 1987) is an author and illustrator who has been nominated for a number of awards, including the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which is the world's largest award for children's and young adult literature. She lives in Russia.

Reviews

[Cheryl Gladfelter · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the war arrives, a mom and kid leave their home for another country.

Told simply and really without emotion, a child points out what they loved and found comforting about their old home (the paper star light they could see from the street), and how different and unfamiliar this new country is. While the words don't really express emotion, the pictures do that for us. Pictures that depict their original home are filled with warm yellow light, and the new country is cold and grey. Even the lights of the businesses and other homes have cold, grey light. Scribbles reflect an unfamiliar language. When mom brings home supplies to make a new cardboard star, they make it and hang it up together. After that bit of home, things start to become more familiar to the child. The art changes and becomes warmer too. While not home, it's better.

A helpful author note tells of her experience emigrating with her family. It feels strange to say this book is really lovely when the topic is so sad, but the art is beautiful and the story explains things simply. I think it would be an easy way to help explain to kids emotions that people experience when they are forced to leave their home, and to feel empathy for them.

[Mika (semi-hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

The book was sad, but cute at the same time. Such a topic isn't for weak nerves and with the star and illustrations it was put into a lighter mood. I did enjoy this read, but I was a bit confused with the text as I sometimes opened another page and at first thought it had no text just to find it small in some corner. I didn't quite like that as it also ruins a bit the flow of reading as one is sometimes more busy searching for the text than enjoying the illustrations. The text colour was also always the same and on a darker background it was sometimes harder to see.

I also had a hard time to sympathise with the characters as the writing sometimes sounded dull.

Nevertheless, it was a quick and interesting read, with very beautiful illustrations



Thank you Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, for the advanced reader copy of A Star Shines Through by Anna Desnitskaya.



Started the book: 26. June 2024
Finished the book: 26. June 2024
Wrote the review: 26. June 2024

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TCWv...

[Pine Reads Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It’s not like home here.”

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.

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.

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook @pinereadsreview, and check out our website at www.pinereadsreview.com for reviews, author interviews, blogs, podcast episodes, and more!

[Erin Buhr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A STAR SHINES THROUGH is a story of emigration. It is about adjusting to somewhere new and figuring out how to make it home. The text is sparse and well chosen. The illustrations are warm. The whole book shines with warmth even in the parts that are hard. It is a simply beautiful story.

[Josh Olds · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Star Shines Through is a story that will wreck you. Based on the real-life and present-day story of author and illustrator Anna Desnitskaya, it tells a story about a family displaced by war struggling to find home in a new country. In their original home, there was a star-shaped lamp that sat in their window, which becomes a symbol of home. When they move the light goes out. Their house changes. The language changes. The food changes. Desnitskaya does a heartbreakingly beautiful job of starkly illustrating in both drawing and words the disruption and dysregulation of an unwanted international move. Only once the family creates for themselves a new lamp for the window—so that the star can shine through—do they feel any hope again.

The story is based on Desnitskaya’s present-day life. A native of Moscow, Russia, she and her family were on holiday when news broke that Russia had attacked Ukraine and begun a war. The Desnitskayas chose not to return home. Instead, they fled to Israel, where they lived in what the author calls “an uncozy apartment” for a while before eventually settling in Montenegro. A Star Shines Through is a thematic retelling of that disruption.

Desnitskaya doesn’t name any countries or take any political sides within the book. A Star Shines Through is meant to a generalized story of displacement and emigration. The line “Then the war began” is the most specific that the book gets, though through the illustrations one should be able to grasp that it is a story of Russian Jews returning to an ancestral homeland. It provides a perspective of emigration that I think is probably missing in the American mindset, which tends to exclusively think of immigration as South American refugees and immigrants coming through the southern border. It also gives a perspective of the average Russian-born person, humanizing them and their plight as they find themselves caught up in a war that many are against.

In real life, Desnitskaya moved again from Israel to Montenegro. It’s not clear if that was before or after the Hamas attack on Israel that has led to Israel’s genocide within Gaza. It adds a layer of heartbreak and despair to know that the family moved from one place to avoid war only to again be thrust into the middle of a conflict they had no desire to be part of. I wish their family peace and stability in their new home—free from the presence of conflict.

A Star Shines Through isn’t just the story of Desnitskaya. It’s the story of millions of people who have been displaced due to war, many of whom whose story is even more uncomfortable. It highlights the human costs of war that go beyond military casualties and shows how cultures are ripped apart and lives are destabilized. At the same time, it shows humanity’s resilience to carry on and make home wherever they are.

[Ankit Saxena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant memory of happier days for author comes true in words here in the form of this picture book. This is a story of a displaced family the aftermath of war when they had to leave for another country where neither food is their own nor did language.

Told from the POV of a young girl, it was depicted very well on how war situations impacted most the Children. A young girl who used to comeback to her home daily from her music classes used to recognize her home from far away by looking at illuminated Star-shaped lamp. When she had to move to another country she missed all those things lacking whatever she learnt and used to since her childhood. But one such day, her mother brought craft papers and they cut-paste the papers to make their very own start-shaped lamp and now after so long she again start to feel bit of a belonging with the place now she is residing in.

Beautifully crafted this picture book can be read to become the thought-provoking emotion in us all for why so many riots and wars required.
Why can't rioters and war-mongers can't just stay shut in their houses and leave rest of the world to peace-offerings? Though not all refugees are good for any country but few are genuine who had to really face the problem.

However, One thing I do not understand from Author's bio is that why she with her family didn't go back to Russia? Why she not felt safe in her own country? Ukraine is not that powerful to destroy Russia so why leave the home? For me, Even if I have to leave my country (God forbid it must become reality) for any such reasons, I believe this is my ardent responsibility to be here and serve her instead of running away, specially when we're much stronger and right in every aspect. Moreover, she lived in Cyprus which is near Lebanon & Syria and in addition not too far from Israel where Palestinian terrorists Hamas militants are attacking, and still you have to keep moving to new place so till when you will do this? Better to go back to your native place in Moscow.

Anyway, illustrations were the most attractive part of this book. Background was so alive and vibrant. Interpretation of author's thoughts behind writing it was clearly elaborated and supported by the sombre expressions of graphics. Noir effect of the reminiscences of author were very grasping and it was having a combination made uniquely by blending realistic graphics with dark hues.

My NetGalley review

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an Author’s Note at the end of the story, Desnitskaya relates her history that she distilled into a story for children. She and her family, who lived in Moscow, were vacationing in Cyprus when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. She saw the news, and “at that moment, I realized that we would not be going back home.”

They moved to Israel, but it was difficult for them to adapt at first; everything was so foreign, from the surroundings to the language to the food.

The key to their survival turned out to be the purchase of a star from IKEA just like the one hanging from their window in Moscow, so that everything would seem a bit less foreign. And time, too, helped heal their wounds.

Their story is told simply, mostly through images by Desnitskaya, the illustrator as well as the author, who uses a palette dominated by blue and golden yellow, the national colors of Ukraine.

Though the words are few, the portrayal of characters weighed down by a sense of loss, fear, and sadness conveys a world of words. And happily, the story ends with a note of hope:

“It still doesn’t feel like home here.
But now, when I return from music lessons in the evening,
I recognize our window; a star shines through it
in the southern night.”

Evaluation: This lovely story for readers 5 and over will help impart what it feels like for so many kids around the world who have been displaced and forced to look for new homes in other countries. Often one's first reaction to hearing about people in dire circumstances is to wonder why they don't just leave and go somewhere better. As this book helps show, it's not as easy as it seems, even if you can find another country to take you! (The latter problem is one that can be further explored by parents and teachers, especially as it is so relevant now in the political discourse.)

Highly recommended to teach kids not only about current events, but to serve as a lesson in putting oneself in other’s shoes, and developing empathy from the experience.

[June Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite a rather somber mood throughout, this book ends on a hopeful note. Drawing from the author's own experiences, it tells the story of how sudden war impacts one young girl and her mother. The tone, both in mood and illustrations, tends toward darkness but the star in the window shines forth and gives hope. The text is succinct, no wasted words, while the illustrations help convey the confusion and unease of being forced from their home, forced to find shelter where they not only seem to know no one but don't speak the language. One illustrations clearly shows how frustrated and blank one must feel looking at signage in foreign locations, not even sure what sort of store/shop/business may be housed there. Check out that same location later in the book.

The one consistent besides her mother and the star, seems to be the presence of the girl's musical instrument. She's seen alone with it in the new location than, as time passes, she seems to have found a friends that she shares a passion for music with. As she heads home, she is somehow reassured by the star shining from their window, a sign of hope for her and her mother. I liked that the book made a point of showing the mother's difficulties, too, how the war and move changed her as well as her daughter. As noted, the story is conveyed as much by the artwork as words, so be sure to take note of what you're seeing as well as reading.

There is nothing simple about either this book or the impact of war and displacement on people. My thanks to #NetGalley and #Wm.B.EerdmansPublishingCompany for sharing this heartfelt look at how, despite change, like a star, hope can shine through. This would make a lovely addition to school libraries and is one that could open up conversations between adults and children about current events.

[Shan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a really good idea here. I just think that the way it was executed was a bit lazy. The illustrations and the idea worked well for me, but the plot development and the type weren't that good for me.
The illustrations were simple, yet still very detailed and looked nice. I liked how the illustrator played with opposites and light in the drawings, and added color, but just a little bit. All of this helped to really convey the general tone of the story, and especially the title. The core idea was great, but I don't think the entire book did it justice. The core idea is about making the best out of a bad situation, and doing what you can; making lemonade out of lemons. This is great for young readers to see and take to heart, especially if they are experiencing changes or challenges of their own. However, due to the lack of plot development, this idea wasn't fully played out.
What I mean when I say that the plot wasn't fully developed is that we only got to see the tip of the iceberg. I would have liked to see more of a beginning, middle, and end rather than just a beginning and abrupt end. The other thing that contributed to this issue was that there was zero character development or personality. We don't get to know about the main characters at all, we only know that they moved due to a war and the change is a lot for them to handle. Taking personality away from the characters ultimately took the personality out of this book and made it a dull read.
My last critique is about the type. The type on most of the pages was way too small and hard to notice, making for a confusing reading experience. Even if the type was just a *little* bit bigger, it would have made a big difference.
Great ideas here and nice illustrations, just fell a bit short for me.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has spent her life moving [though never because of war; something I am forever grateful for], this book resonated deeply with me and I felt all the feels as the characters in the book try to adapt to their new home[s] and I know first hand how important it was to have something that reminded us of our previous home and gave us comfort.

An important book for all ages [and filled with fantastic illustrations], if you've ever had to leave a place you've loved, this will stay with you and remind you of these times. If you've been lucky enough to not have had to go through that, this book will bring thankfulness to your heart and will teach littles compassion and empathy towards those who have had to flee their own beloved homes.

The notes at the end will break your heart and I an only hope, moving forward, the author and her family will find their forever home, and find things that will give them comfort as they say their final goodbyes to all they used to know and love and move forward in their new normal.

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Desnitskaya, and Wm. B. Eerdman's Publishing Group/Eerdman's Books for Young Readers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[suvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Star Shines Through is quite a sad and heavy book about a really important topic. Many children have to leave their homes behind for one reason or another - and sometimes that reason is a war. I feel like this book could offer comfort and understanding to many who find themselves in a new home. I know I probably would have benefited from a story like this as a child who spent three years asking when we are going back home after simply moving to another house.

For the art itself, it's really beautiful and melancholic and I really enjoyed how much warmth the star on the window brought to the story. My biggest complaint is that of the text itself. It was quite small and sometimes I turned the page and I thought there were no words on it at all. And then I turned the page again and the text there didn't make sense with the previous one so I had to go back looking for the text.

I also had a bit hard time feeling for the characters as the story just started with; hey here is a character. Now the character is in another place. Now the story is over. So, I didn't really feel connected to the story at all.

But overall, nice book with beautiful illustrations.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Star Shines Through is a melancholy but hopeful story about a mother and daughter who flee their homeland upon the outbreak of war. They both struggle to feel like they belong in their new country. Then the re-creation of a beloved lamp from their old home helps them see how these different parts of their lives are still connected.

The use of light and shadow in the illustrations is lovely. The final page, an evening scene with light streaming from windows and twinkling atop the hills, is striking.

There are two things in this title that I haven’t seen before in a picture book:

One is the mother staring glumly down at her phone, its light on her face, her back turned to her daughter. It evokes the kind of loneliness and estrangement a child must feel when a parent is glued to their electronics (even for very good reasons, like checking the news in times of turmoil).

Another is the full spread illustration of the bare, dimly lit, mediocre little apartment they’re moving into after fleeing. I guess I get why I don’t see this setting in children’s books often- it’s depressing- but having moved into places like this before myself, the depiction was familiar and rung true.

I enjoyed this, 4 / 5 stars.

[Adele Lostinaclassicworld · Rating 4 out of 5]

La protagonista di questa storia è una bambina come tante altre, che vive una vita normale e abita in una grande città. La sera, quando torna a casa dalle lezioni di musica, alla finestra trova accesa una lampada di carta a forma di stella.
Le sue giornate trascorrono in tranquillità, finché un giorno arriva la guerra e il suo mondo cambia, deve lasciare la sua quotidianità e trasferirsi in una nuova città che non è più Casa.

La sua vita cambia, la casa è diversa, il cibo che mangia è diverso, lei stessa alla fine è diversa.
Una sofferenza che lei, e tanti altri bambini, devono subire per colpa di altri.
Ma in questo albo c'è anche un barlume di speranza: piano piano la nuova città inizia ad essere meno estranea e inizia una nuova quotidianità, che però non la fa sentire davvero a Casa.

In poche pagine fatte di grandi immagini, e poche delicate frasi, riusciamo a capire perfettamente la vita e gli stati d'animo della piccola protagonista. Vediamo attraverso i suoi occhi tutto quello che vive, la felicità di una vita tranquilla che diventa tristezza in un luogo diverso.
È un albo toccante, delicato, adatto a tutte le età.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very simple picture book about a girl and her family who have to leave their home, and move somewhere else. In her old home, there was a star in the window. In this new home, there is not. Everything is different. Andit feels strange.So her mother gets and hangs a star and things start to feel a little better.
As theauthor notes, this is based on what happened to her when she was forced to leaver her country, and find refuge elsewhere. This is a sweet story telling how just little things can make a new home feel more like the old home. With so many refugees and people being displaced, this is a book that will explain to the young what they are experiencing is not different or strange.


The language used is simple. The pictures show the contrast before and after, and what the girl had before, and does not have now.


And for those who have never been forced to flee, perhaps a little sympathy for those who did.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 20th of August 2024.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd give this book ten stars if I could. First of all, the illustrations are beautiful and can be appreciated by adults and children alike. There are many things to notice on each page and an adult and child could linger and talk about what they see.

The thoughtful wording of the book and the theme itself makes me strongly advocate for this book being added to every school and public library as well as school classrooms. It will be a springboard to many important discussions and realizations. And finally, there is something in it that any parent and child could identify with. It's a short book written for children, but as I finished it I had tears in my eyes.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I hope to read more from this author and this book will be at the top of my list of best reads this year!

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mother and daughter are displaced by war from their cozy urban home and move into an uncomfortable apartment in another country. Clever illustrations depict the contrast between the old life they had and the new one they’re living with its strange landscape, language, and foods—that is, until mother and daughter choose to let hope shine in their lives like the star in their window. The Author’s Note describes the pain of emigration and the suffering that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has inflicted on her and her family, who will never return to their home in Moscow or their Russian homeland.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can you even imagine how scary it is to leave the town where you've lived all your life and move to very different places where they don't even speak the same language and the buildings look nothing like at home?
The illustrations by the author are simple, meaningful, and just right.
Well suited for reading alone or WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Andreea · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Absolutely adored the illustration. This illustration style is one of my favourite and I felt like it helps the story a lot. The actual story could use a bit of polishing, but even so it was enough to get a feel of it and to leave the illustrations do the rest.

It's not an easy topic to approach, but I liked how it was treated and it warmed me up inside.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A girl and her mother flee a country because of war. The book does a wonderful job describing in very simple ways the effect of abrupt immigration from your home country. The simple ways she show this by the mom staring at her phone more, not knowing the language, the food and feel of a different apartment. The simple act of creating a paper star for the window helps both mother and daughters feel more connected to their lost home, but also that they are building a new home together. Very well done. Read the author note too which describes the inspiration for the story.

[Jessica Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s not a lot of text in A Star Shines Through, but the book doesn’t need it. Anna Desnitskaya’s straight-forward prose is perfectly balanced with her thoughtful illustrations, creating an emotional look at hope after loss.

Children will be drawn to Desnitskaya’s use of color, light and space, which set the tone throughout.

A Star Shines Through is a hopeful picture book that encourages empathy and understanding.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of A Sta Shones Through, a picture book, left Moscow after Putin invaded Ukraine, and has moved many times to figure out what he new home might be. In Moscow they had cardboard stars on the walls, so in this (auto-fictional?) story a girl and her mother make some of these stars through which their beloved Moscow and their memories can shone through. But in every place they move the stars shine through, from time to time, giving them a sense of home. Sweet, sad.

[Kirsten Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful. Beautiful. Poignant. From the Author’s Note at the back of this picture book, one learns that this book is based on the real life experiences of the author and her family who unexpectedly became immigrants when they had to leave their home in Moscow in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. The story and the illustrations are a beautiful testament to the resilience and hope that many immigrants have even as they embark into unknown places seeking a different life.

[Miz Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

With sparse words and pictures contrasting bright and dark to express mood, the story of a family immigrating due to war in their home country is accessible and understandable for young children. The Russian-born author/illustrator's note gives the personal background inspiration of her own family leaving Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that has been written by someone displaced due to the Russia/Ukraine conflict, this book shines a light, literally, on war. On finding a new home where you don't have one. I expected a wordy book but instead it is the opposite. It's poignant and honest, which narratives such as this should be.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant, beautifully illustrated picture book that shares the story of a family displaced by war. The author shares her story, of how the Russian attack on Ukraine changed her life forever. The family's resilience does offer a hopeful ending.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving picture book about being displaced by war and trying to find home. Unlike other picture books about war, this one does not show images of living in a conflict zone, but after reading the author's note, this makes sense because it was not part of her initial experience.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short and to the point. The simplicity is a trick - this is a story about a very complex, complicated, emotional situation where a family had to leave their home because of war. A gentle introduction into immigration and the effects of war.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

When war breaks out, this family is forced to move to a new country where everything is different: different language, different food, different scenery and different customs. A touching story about finding ways to make a new country more like home.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple, yet powerful, picture book about the challenges of being a refugee. A life can change in just a moment, and yet the human spirit finds a way to survive and thrive. I love the final two-page spread o the friendship forming and the star shinin bright in the window. A future.