Modesta Jurgaitytė, Rasa Jančiauskaitė. Ypatingas (My Heart Is Singing), Vilnius: Tikra knyga, 2019. – 35 p.  

This is a story of a child who is different – special. His heart is beating not in his chest but outside his body. Being special is not always easy, and the boy is bullied at school. Bullying is very, very painful and can cause serious damage. Is it possible to endure this? What happens when a heart breaks? Is it possible to mend it? How? this book speaks of very sensitive things through a rich, metaphorical language.
This picture book is also exceptional in its aesthetics: the colour of its cover is a very bright fluorescent orange, which signals that the book is special. It deals with the topic of bullying and shows it in its visual expression: the drawings are emblematic and seem to be more informative than they are illustrative. The visual combination of the book is very original, based on the new aesthetics of visual art: the artist’s language is sparing but full of impact. $e handwritten script and several original techniques of visual storytelling are combined in the artist’s extraordinary drawings: all the elements are carefully thought through, and a new meaning is encoded in the visual expression that resembles a child’s drawing. The illustrations are relatable to both children and adults, encouraging them to enter an honest conversation.

Modesta Jurgaitytė (born 1983) interest and admiration for children’s literature led to her debut as a children’s writer. She graduated in Lithuanian literature and literary criticism and is currently running a family business and writing a blog on children’s reading and creative writing called Žuvys ir liežuvis (Fish and Tongue).

Rasa Jančiauskaitė (b. 1991) is one of the most successful young book illustrators. She graduated in graphic design and visual communication design from Vilnius Academy of Arts and took up training in art schools in Paris and Italy. In her work, she tends to carry out bold experiments and break the rules. Her illustrations have been recognized not only in Lithuania, but also in Poland, UAE and Italy. Her book Summa won the first prize at the Sharjah Exhibition for Children’s Book Illustration. She is the creator of visual identity for Bologna Book Fair and Vilnius Book Fair (2020).
Illustrator’s portfolio: https://rasajanciauskaite.com/

Selected translations

Bilingual English and Lithuanian: Ypatingas. Special. Translated by Benas Bėrantas, Linnea Berg, Greta Barkauskytė. Stockholm: Pionier Press, 2023

Contact for rights: daiva@tikraknyga.lt