Bright Lights

Illustration, concept & book design: Katja Gerischer

Bright Lights

At night, migratory birds use the stars to navigate.
During a storm, one little bird is separated from the flock and, confused by the city lights, loses his path. Will he ever find his flock again?

Katja Gerischer’s wordless picture book debut shows the little bird on his accidental trip to the city, where he makes lots of discoveries. The issue of light pollution, which gave rise to this story, is briefly explained at the end.

Katja Gerischer:
»To emphasize the vital role of light and darkness in the story, I made the first drawings in black and white, putting in areas of darkness, and erasing bits to create bright spaces, which helped me work out the light and shade of my nocturnal scenes. After that I used digital painting to color them in, which led to a fantastic touch, and an even starker contrast between the warmly colored artificial lights of the city, and the natural night lights.«

“Anyone who has seen Katja’s beautiful picture book will never look at our over-illuminated world the same way again. Her unforgettable images make us turn into birds and long to find our path by looking at the stars. I for my part have been turning off the lights inside and outside much more often since I read it!” Cornelia Funke

Look inside

Contact info