Elvyra Žeižienė, Andrius Seselskas. Kukurūzų lėlė (The Corn Doll), Kaunas: Charity and Support Fund Švieskime vaikus, 2025. – 72 p.

The Corn Doll is a book based on Žeižienė’s autobiographical memories about a little girl named Elvyra who, in 1970, returns to Lithuania with her parents from exile in Siberia. The book intertwines bright childhood adventures with serious historical themes. After settling in a village with her grandmother, the girl tries to understand the routines of rural life, make friends, and fit in at school. At the same time, the story reveals how the lives of former exiles were made difficult by harsh Soviet laws and how Soviet ideology was instilled in schools. The book gains authenticity through its sincere first-person narration and its attention to details preserved in the memory. It may also be of interest to adult readers who wish to learn about Lithuania’s history through personal experience and unforgettable childhood memories. Andrius Seselskas’ pencil drawings create a distinctive visual world and give the narrative a sense of sensitivity and historical authenticity.

Elvyra Žeižienė (b. 1961) is a journalist and children’s writer. Her first children’s book, Kedrynų mergaitės istorija (The Story of the Cedar Girl), won second prize in the National Children’s Literature Competition in 2019. The Corn Doll is a continuation of that first book.

Andrius Seselskas (b. 1978) is an artist, graphic designer, and book illustrator. He studied art and design at Šiauliai University. His graphic works, created in pencil, are very distinctive. When drawing portraits of his characters, he unexpectedly moves from the sphere of realism into the realm of imagination. His works are characterised by surreal compositions and tonal modelling of figures. In 2014 he received the IBBY Lithuania Section prize for the most artistically valuable black-and-white illustrations (for the book Vilniaus padavimai – Legends of Vilnius).

Contact for rights: info@svieskimevaikus.lt