The author

As a child, I lived in stories

Agnesa Mirabel is an orthodontist and a mother of two, living between Odessa and Belgium. She writes the way she talks to children: not by explaining, but by offering images and feelings, and leaving room around them to think.

Agnesa Mirabel, childrens book author, holding a copy of The Luminous Train

Why she writes

What usually goes unsaid

Agnesa Mirabel is an orthodontist, a mother of two, and an author who explores the emotional world of both children and parents. Her books were born as a dialogue — not through direct instruction, but through images, stories and feelings that open space for reflection.

Through this she speaks about what is often left unspoken: overwhelm, sensitivity, inner transformation, and the invisible connection between a parent and a child. Combining her medical background with her own journey of motherhood, she creates stories that help children and adults alike find calm, trust and inner balance.

Do you remember yourself as a child?

How the books are made

How the pages are made

The pages begin as her own drawings and notes, then become watercolours. The characters changed along the way — the Conductor grew younger, the train more modern — and the cover was redrawn three times before it felt like the book she had in mind.

Written to be read aloud, in the voice you use when there is no hurry left in the evening.

Agnesa Mirabel in a blue dress sits on a beige tufted sofa behind a low table covered with illustration sheets, watercolours and pencil drawings, and a cup of tea

Two stages of the same illustration for The Luminous Train: above, the preparatory pencil drawing; below, the finished watercolour of a boy facing a green locomotive emerging from a forest tunnel — From pencil to watercolour

Pencil character studies for The Luminous Train: three studies of the Conductor's face and three full-length figures in a peaked cap and long coat — Character studies of the Conductor

Watercolour from The Luminous Train: a boy with a brown backpack watches the green locomotive, headlamps lit, in a blue-tinged forest speckled with fireflies — The train in the night forest

An open book showing a handwritten page in Ukrainian on textured cream paper, with white cherry blossom branches laid along the right edge — The manuscript in Ukrainian

Questions parents ask

Frequently asked questions

What age are the books for?

Book one is written for children aged roughly 5 to 9, and reads younger when read aloud. Both are made to be read aloud, so the age that works best depends more on the child than on the number.

Are the stories frightening?

No. The dark is present in book one, but it is never the villain — the whole point is that it slowly stops being frightening. The tone stays calm from the first page to the last, which is what makes it work at bedtime.

How long does one take to read aloud?

Around ten to twelve minutes at an unhurried pace — roughly the length of a bedtime meant to slow down rather than end quickly.

In which languages are the books available?

The Luminous Train is published in English, and a French edition exists as Le Train Lumineux. A Ukrainian version of the story is being prepared. This website is available in English and Ukrainian.

How many books are in the series?

Four are planned. Two are written: fear of the dark, and believing in your own ideas.

Can I get a copy signed for my child?

Yes. Ask for a dedicated copy and give the child’s first name — Agnesa writes it in by hand before the book is posted, the same way she does at book fairs.