The picture book Stars and Poppy Seeds by Ukrainian artists Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv (the Agrafka creative studio) has been shortlisted for Estonia’s Paabeli Torn 2026 prize for translated children’s literature. This was reported by Chytomo, citing Estonian public broadcaster ERR.
In Estonian, the book was published by Päike ja Pilv. It was translated from Ukrainian by literary critic, writer and translator Ilona Martson.
The Estonian edition was released in 2026. Previously, Päike ja Pilv also published another Agrafka title in Estonian — The War That Changed Rondo.
Stars and Poppy Seeds is the writing debut of Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv. In Ukrainian, it was published by The Old Lion Publishing House in 2014 and, that same year, received a BolognaRagazzi Award in the Opera Prima category, intended for debut works by authors and illustrators.
Stars and Poppy Seeds tells the story of Dora. “Numbers, digits and all sorts of formulae surrounded Dora from an early age, because her parents are renowned mathematicians. At bedtime, unlike other children who, to drift off, counted baby elephants, Dora counted every animal in the world — even manatees, tapirs and platypuses,” the blurb says. One evening, gazing at the Milky Way, Dora decides to count all the stars in the sky.
In total, the Paabeli Torn shortlist includes ten children’s books translated into Estonian and published from October 2025 to the end of September 2026. The prize is awarded in two categories: picture books and fiction for children and teenagers, with five nominees selected in each.
The winners will be announced on 19 November 2026.
Paabeli Torn is an Estonian prize established in 2004 to recognise the best translations of children’s literature. Initially, the award was presented for fiction books for children and teenagers, and since 2016 picture books have been recognised separately.