My happiness grows to make room for this beautiful news. What a joy it is to know that Bombay — the book I wrote and that the wonderful Isol brought to life with her illustrations — has been included among the books recommended by the Hans Christian Andersen jury. For the 2026 edition, the jury selected twenty-one outstanding books from among the candidates’ works, as part of an IBBY initiative meant to help exceptional books travel farther and find new readers through translation around the world.

Bombay is a book I hold especially close. In its pages, Elena talks with her black cat as she tries to understand love, family, and the quiet but profound ways life can suddenly expand. To see this book connected to the Hans Christian Andersen Award — the highest international recognition for authors and illustrators of children’s books — fills me with gratitude, wonder, and renewed joy in writing.