Marius Marcinkevičius, Lina Itagaki. Sakmė apie Neringą. (The Legend of Neringa), Vilnius: Misteris Pinkmanas, 2025. – 48 p.

The book brings together two stories and two time periods – the legendary past and the present. It tells of a girl named Neringa who stands out among others because of her tall stature and extraordinary strength, qualities that make her feel different and isolated. While spending a holiday by the sea, she splits off from her classmates and begins reading a book about the legendary Neringa – a giantess who befriends Naglis and helps rescue ships sinking in a storm. While reading the legend, Neringa falls asleep and wakes to the cries of her classmates struggling in the sea. Like the legendary Neringa, she uses her strength to save the very friends who once rejected her. Her heroic act not only brings her recognition but also restores her confidence and brings the child the joy she so deeply needs. The book encourages readers to understand that being different is not a curse but rather an opportunity for self-discovery and for embracing the uniqueness of one’s difference. In Lina Itagaki’s expressive and dynamic illustrations there is no visual distinction between the legendary Neringa and the contemporary girl—their visual characterisation is the same. This helps young readers easily recognise the courage and willingness to help that unite both figures. The text, printed in large capital letters, echoes the physical size of both Neringas while also making the book easier for children to read independently. 

Marius Marcinkevičius (b. 1966) is a poet and prose writer, included in the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honour List. In 1995, he graduated from Vilnius University and works as a doctor. He has written more than 20 books, many of which have been translated into over a dozen languages and have received various national and international awards. His picture books have been highly acclaimed. Draugystė ant straublio galo (Friendship on an Elephant’s Trunk, 2024) received the IBBY Estonia Section Tower of Babel award (2024), while Sivužas (The Mysterious Lake, 2019) was awarded the Dr. Aloyzas Petrikas Prize (2019) and the IBBY Prize for the best book of the year for the youngest readers (2019). Stage adaptations have been created based on these books. In addition to fairy tales, Marcinkevičius has written poetry books and also develops complex themes of historical memory. His book about the Holocaust, Akmenėlis (The Pebble, 2021), was awarded the IBBY Pranas Mašiotas Prize (2021), the Vilnius Mayor’s Prize (2021), and the German Youth Literature Award (Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, 2025). The most awards have been received for the comic book written by Marius Marcinkevičius and illustrated by Lina Itagaki, Mergaitė su šautuvu. Istorija apie mergaitę partizanę (Girl with a Gun. A Story about a Partisan Girl, 2023). In addition to national recognition, the work received a Special Mention at the Bologna Ragazzi Awards 2024 in the Comics – Middle Grade category, the best translated book Sophie Castille Award at the Comicon competition in Italy, and was included in the international children’s and youth book catalogue The White Ravens (2025). 

Lina Itagaki (b. 1979) is a children’s books illustrator and a comics artist. She participates in group exhibitions of illustrators, organises solo exhibitions, and leads educational sessions and creative workshops for children. Her illustrations have received awards at the Illustration and the Book exhibition in Vilnius (2015) and at the COW International Design Festival in Ukraine (2015). Itagaki studied English at Vytautas Magnus University and international economics in Japan; in 2014, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in graphic art from the Vilnius Academy of Arts. The first book she illustrated, written by Jurga Vilė, Sibiro haiku (Siberian Haiku, 2017), received wide national and international acclaim. This graphic novel won the main prize of the Ministry of Culture’s Book Art competition (2017), the IBBY Domicelė Tarabildienė Prize (2017), and the Dr. Aloyzas Prize (2017). It was nominated for the Latvian Jānis Baltvilks International Prize (2020) and the German Youth Literature Award (Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, 2021), became a finalist in Estonia’s Book of the Year 2022 competition, has been translated into many languages, and was adapted for a performance at the National Drama Theatre (2023). Itagaki’s illustrations have also received awards for the picture books Nukas (2021), In Bob’s Mouth (2024) by Alfredo Paniconi, as well as for comic illustrations in Grybo auksas (Grybas Gold, 2021) by Rasa Grybaitė and Prieš srovę. Sabiha – žuvų draugė (Upstream. Sabiha – Friend of Fish, 2022) by Vytenė Muschick and Marius Marcinkevičius. Her illustrations for the comic Girl with a Gun. A Story about a Partisan Girl received global critical acclaim and were shortlisted for the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition award. The Legend of Neringa is Itagaki’s tenth illustrated book. 

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