Text by Alexandra Litvina, illustrated by Anna Desnitskaya
An award-winning cross-generational best-seller with 85500 copies printed worldwide! One century, one family, one story. Discover the closed pages of Russian history.
This picture book tells the story of a six-room Moscow apartment throughout the 20th century through little residents’ diary records, historical facts and descriptions of simple household items of different historical periods. The readers, reflected in the microcosm of the apartment, are invited to immerse into the events shaping Russia and the world: upheavals and triumphs, wars and revolutions, days of glory and darkest hours. We open the door into our own homes and talk openly about ourselves. Many things were left unsaid for a very long time, it is high time to change it. There is also a workbook (6+) based on this book. Different tasks will help children to learn more about their family’s story.
PRIZES 2016 “Image of the Book” (Russia) 2017 Innovative book project(Russia) 2017 Golden Apple (Slovakia) 2018 Nominated for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (Germany) 2019 Shortlist of the Prix Sorcières (France) 2021 Premio Orbil Prize (Italy) 2021 Shortlist of the Andersen Award (Italy) 2021 Shortlist of UKLA Book Awards (UK)
RIGHTS SOLD German, English, Polish, Arabic, Romanian, Simplified Chinese, Italian, Japanese, French
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alexandra Litvinais an editor, historian, and author of historical books and guidebooks. Alexandra was nominated for the 2021 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. She wrote The Apartment: A Century of Russian History, which won many international prizes, The Trans-Siberian Railway and Metro on the ground and underground (co-authored with Anna Desnitskaya). Alexandra is a collector. She participates in many performances dedicated to the history of costume and daily life.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR Anna Desnitskaya is one of the most famous modern Russian illustrators in her own country and in the world. She was awarded prestigious Russian and international prizes for her books. She is a winner of the Golden Apple at Biennial of Illustration in Bratislava and the Russian Book Illustration Contest “Image of the Book”. In 2019 Anna was selected for the Illustrators Exhibition of Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
KEY SELLING POINTS
Great combination of fictional diaries and non-fiction facts.
What was happening in the largest and one of the most secret countries in the world for almost 100 years?
Focus on the individual life and family story in the country where the social aspects and common interests prevailed. Make parallels with your own country’s history and your own family’s story.
The glossary will help with different Russian terms and culture-specific realities.
Gorgeous illustrations by one of the most famous contemporary Russian illustrators – Anna Desnitskaya.
Multigenre Age: 10+ Pages: 60 Size: 250*345 mm Published in 2016 by Samokat
