Felix the Boy is a graphic novel about Nina and Eugene, a young and creative New York couple, who are trying to survive and adapt to their role as the parents of their unusually sensitive and inscrutable son Felix.
The story touches on the competitive childrearing found in Manhattan, parenting by high-achieving creative mothers, and the topic of gifted children with special needs (also known as twice-exceptional children or 2e children).
For a full pitch please inquire to Fran Black: literarycounsel@gmail.com
The Age of Wolfhound is the story of the 6-year-old girl, Mila, the heiress of an old noble family and, for a while, the only baby in her large family. Her aunts and grandmother were taking caring of her while her adventurous mother was conquering the Arctic.
The story begins with Mila and her Grandmother, Makava, stuck in the besieged Leningrad during World War II. The Americans know little about it, yet the siege proved to be the deadliest in the history of mankind.
Mila and Makava traveled across the war-torn Russia to reunite with Mila’s mother, a geologist and an arctic explorer, who was waiting for them in Pevek near Chukotka, the northernmost town in Russia. Chukotka is the site of many labor camps, a part of the notorious Gulag. Mila’s family has its own personal experience with the Soviet punitive system for Mila’s grandfather was arrested by the NKVD and charged with espionage and treason.
Told with irony and humor, the storyline dwells on the history of a hardy and eccentric family's survival against all odds.
Can Mila teach a flock of ducks to fly a dog sled? Can she really fake speaking French? Will her attempt to stage a play about Hitler be a success? What is so bad about being kissed by a boy for the first time? Mila not only survives the horrible period of her country's history, but lives her life to the full.
For a full pitch please inquire to Dasha Ziborova: dasha@artspacenyc.com
The First Life of Chloe is a graphic novel/picture book for children age 5-9.
The story is told in pictures with a minimum of text. It is 80 pages long and has 11 chapters.
The story takes place in the backyards of New York’s iconic walk-up buildings. It all starts then a young white cat comes to town. She is cute and curious and open to interactions with humans. At first it seems like the cat strikes gold by meeting Lily, a young girl who lives on the first floor. Lily names the cat Chloe and wants to adopt her. All seems well until Lily’s mother comes home and declares that there will be no cats in her house, not in her lifetime.
After that Chloe and Lily go on separate journeys: Chloe is in a search of a place to belong and Lily’s plan is to change her Mother’s anti-cat home policies and to bring her friend back.
Through Chloe’s further backyard explorations she meets many different people including Ruby and Jude, caring but always disagreeable siblings, and an evil Cat Lady who becomes a real threat to Chloe’s existence.
Lily wants Chloe back, but she needs to work hard on this goal including a rescue operation from The Cat Lady where all the story’s characters come together to play their part.
For a full pitch please inquire to Fran Black: literarycounsel@gmail.com
Crispin the Terrible published by Callaway Editions. Written by Bob Morris, illustrated by Dasha Ziborova
"Crispin is a dignified cat with an undignified lifestyle. He lives with a family that simply doesn't appreciate him. (He feels.) If he's not blamed for things that he didn't do, then he is treated like a toy. Or worse, ignored as if he were a piece of furniture."
Crispin the Terrible was the first picture book I made. I wanted to have a book about New York City and to show it through the cat’s eyes. I sold my manuscript to Callaway Editions, but it took more then two years for “Crispin” to come alive. The original character named, Mr. Purr, was an old, grumpy immigrant obsessed with survival. It took amazing talent of writer Bob Morris to come up with our spirited, native New Yorker Crispin.
In English, of Course published by Gingerbread House. Written by Josephine Nobisso, illustrated by Dasha Ziborova.
"Set in the Bronx during the 1950s, when postwar immigrant children were placed in their first American classrooms, this delightful story tells of the riotous linguistic misunderstandings of Josephine’s first day of school. The daughter of savvy Italian engineers, Josephine has lived in the city long enough to have learned a few words in English, but is overcome when her teacher makes her stand up in front of the class and tell about her life in Italy—in English, of course. The result is a charming tale of adventures and multicultural miscommunications as Josephine attempts to make herself understood."
In English, of Course and The Numbers Dance published by Gingerbread House brought us many awards and nominations including The Independent Publishers Award.
The Numbers Dance published by Gingerbread House. Written by Josephine Nobisso, illustrated by Dasha Ziborova.
"Twirling and whirling, zigging and zagging, numerals dance across the pages, enticing children to play with numbers and develop a better understanding of numeric values in this fun and informative comic approach. Three groups of numerals make mightily concerted attempts to maintain the quirks of their distinct personalities in the face of persistent peer pressure. The irascible 1, 2, 3, and 4, though frail and wiry, would like to impose their ballroom dance style on the robust 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. 5 and 6 cannot help reverting to raucous jazz dancing, no matter how hard they sportingly try to conform, and 7–10 don't see the point of being anything but what they truly are—western line dancers. Scuffles, rumbles, round-ups, and coercions ensue until 1–4 have their way and 5–10 "go back to dancing like they want to, again!" The book's rousing, impeccably-metered rhymes provide the cadence of each dance style, and the spare accompanying art lends a clean energy to the numerals' challenge to accept each other as they are."
In English, of Course and The Numbers Dance published by Gingerbread House brought us many awards and nominations including The Independent Publishers Award.
Chronicles of Forgotten Wars is an artist book. It was created for my solo show at DVAA gallery in Narrowsburg, NY.
One of the illustrations was chosen for American Illustration 38
Real Time In Ink is a series of graphic stories by artist and author Dasha Ziborova. It covers a broad range of topics from people, places, parenting, art, music, cats, food, travel, to occasional politics and scary crazy Russians.
Many of them were published by Spiralbound magazine at Medium
Happy New Year, Dear Comrades!
Once Upon a Summer
Not Like Thelma & Louise
This Land is My Land
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