Writing in this paper earlier this summer, Michael Morpurgo argued that we should not let a fear of upsetting children stop us from talking to them about war. “The young mind is endlessly inquisitive,” he said. “Children want to know, to discover more of the unknown, even if it is disturbing.” But while this view might reasonably be applied to chapter books, can war ever be a suitable subject for a picture book aimed – as with Silent Night, My Astronaut – at children as young as five?
The book, by a Ukrainian author, is presented as the diary of a seven-year-old child, and charts the first 10 days of the Russian invasion of Kyiv. It begins on a “bright and sunny” day in February, when Ia and her family are listening to the unfamiliar din of war. “Mum is in the dark. Dad is in the dark. I am in the dark. Dark and scary… Church bells are ringing, sirens are screaming, bombs are exploding.” Much of what follows is similarly evocative. Ia is a disarmingly observant narrator, who dates her diary precisely (“The third day of the War, February 26,” etc); and records war’s daily privations. “My friend and I text each other: WE WERE IN A BOMB SHELTER; EVERYONE IS LIKE A PICKLE IN A JAR,” reads an entry on 25th February.
But the charm of the book lies in its interiority, with much of the narrative constructed around Ia’s relationship with her toy astronaut, whom she entrusts to protect her. “I wonder, is there a super powerful astronaut in the sky? Watching and hearing me from up above? I believe there is. My astronaut.” Some of her diary is addressed to the toy directly (“Hello, my astronaut, can you hear me through all this noise?”), negating the story’s threatening subject matter with a sense of childish familiarity.
And while the narration is vivid, it is never disturbing – for Ia’s focus is more on war’s consolations than its dangers. “The evening is long. It’s silent outside. We love silent. The most important thing is for the sirens not to howl,” reads a typical entry. The gently optimistic tone is completed by Kateryna Stepanishcheva’s illustrations, which capture the moments of affirmation as Ia and her family slowly plot their escape from the front line. On one level, the book will offer the inquisitive young reader a glimpse into life in a civilian war zone. But the story’s real subject is courage, rather than conflict. “In the morning, we even laughed. We find we are supported by people from all over the world. We seem to have friends everywhere!” our narrator notes after another night of bombing.
Silent Night, My Astronaut is published by Andersen at £12.99. To order your copy for £10.99 call 0808 196 6794 or visit Telegraph Books
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