Jurga Vilė, Agnė Nananai. Kašalotų radijas (The Whale Radio), Vilnius: 700 eilučių, 2023. – 40 p.  English sample translation available

A little girl named Dominga has an unusual friend – a great white sperm whale named Snow (she is white like Moby Dick). Snow lives far away, in a place unmarked on any map, near the shores of the mysterious village of A. Dominga’s family discovered Snow long ago and they return to the village every summer. The villagers are surprised by the visitors’ friendship with the whales. Typically, sperm whale are very cautious. They don’t swim close to the shore and tend to avoid people, but the moment Dominga and her siblings arrive, the whales gather in the bay, chattering cheerfully. It’s such a strange noise, a bit like a broken radio. But Dominga’s mother says that the whale radio isn’t broken, it’s only a little old-fashioned… The book’s text is brought to life by Agnė Nananai’s coloured pencil illustrations, which give warmth to the otherwise cold northern landscapes. Her sensitive strokes, attention to detail, and sculptural depiction of the sperm whale’s massive body bring the story to life. Episodes depicted in black-and-white graphite pencil add yet another layer to this original story.

The Lithuanian writer and translator Jurga Vilė (b. 1977) dedicates this book to animals. Kašalotų radijas (The Whale Radio) is the third book in her Lašas jūroje (Drop in the Ocean) series for children. The author of eight books, Jurga Vilė is highly acclaimed in children’s literature both in Lithuania and abroad. She is best known for her graphic novel Sibiro Haiku (Siberian Haiku, 2017), which has been translated into 12 languages, received numerous awards, and was listed among the most significant books for children.

The book’s artist Agnė Nananai (b. 1984) is an illustrator of children’s books. A graduate of the Vilnius Academy of Arts in applied graphics, she illustrated this book, which was recognised by IBBY Lithuania as the Best Picture Book of 2024.
Illustrator’s portfolio: https://nananai.lt/

Contact for rights: leidykla@700eiluciu.lt

Contact for samples: kotryna.pranckunaite@lithuanianculture.lt