You're reading: These books for children help in winter

There’s no better way to spend a long winter evening with the kids than with a good book. The Kyiv Post has picked out some of the best Ukrainian children’s books that were translated into English.

‘The Brave Little Airplane’
This book by Nataliya Vovk, one of Ukraine’s best modern writers of children’s books, tells an inspiring story about a little airplane that bigger planes make fun of. But one day the little airplane manages to save an injured little boy far away in the mountains, and the other planes’ attitude to him changes.

The story reminds of “The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Andersen. But the Ukrainian story shows that respect can be earned through good deeds. The little airplane resembles a little kid who no one takes seriously, although he has good intentions and a desire to help others. The book offers bright pictures and an optimistic message.

Where to get it: Ababagalamaga books store, www.abababooks.com.ua, tel. 095-777-0672, Hr 125

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‘Lisa And Her Dreams’
“Lisa And Her Dreams” might be the best book around to introduce a child to the world’s finest works of art. At the beginning of the book its main heroine Lisa is very disappointed because her classmate has refused to paint her portrait at a painting lesson at school. Lisa falls asleep and experiences breathtaking adventures in her dream – by means of the wings invented by Leonardo Da Vinci. She visits the studios of the famous artists of the past, including Sandro Botticelli, and others, and each of them draws Lisa’s portrait.

The book has wonderful illustrations by modern Ukrainian artist Eugenia Gapchinska, whose paintings are found in numerous private collections.

Where to get it: Ababagalamaga store, www.abababooks.com.ua, tel. 095-777-0672, Hr 150

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‘Honey for Mommy’
This charming fairy tale about a little bunny looking for honey for his sick mom has only 50 pages, but its touching story will stay with readers for a long time. Authored and illustrated by Ivan Malkovych and Sofia Us, the book’s theme is caring relationships between parents and children.

The mother of a little bunny gets cold, so he decides to go out into the city (which looks very much like the western Ukrainian city of Lviv) to buy a jar of honey to make a honey tea – a good medicine for sore throat. But the city is big and the bunny is small, and he gets lost.

The book has vivid colorful illustrations and, of course, a happy ending. Kateryna Yushchenko, wife Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yushchenko, translated the book into English.

“Honey for Mommy” is for children between three and six years old.

Where to get it: Ye book store, www.book-ye.com.ua, tel. 044-228-0566, Hr 194

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National fairy tales
This half-educational and half-entertaining book includes three famous Ukrainian fairy tales – “The Mitten,” “The Bully Goat,” and “The Fox and the Rolling Pin” – all masterfully translated in English.

The English vocabulary of the book is quite simple and is suitable for children who are non-native speakers of English between nine and 12 years old. In addition to the stories, it has exercises to train one’s grammar and vocabulary.

Where to get it: Yakaboo.ua shop, www.yakaboo.ua, tel. 044-225-0505

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‘Fairy Tales 3: Oh’
A third edition in a series of fairy tale books, this 40-page book tells one of Ukraine’s most famous fairy tales, “Oh.” The tale is about a creature named Oh – a strict and demanding old man who rules his forest kingdom. Oh hires a lazy boy to work at his house. After the boy serves him for three years, the forest ruler does not want him to leave and uses tricks to make him stay as his servant. But everything ends well for the boy – he manages to outwit Oh and turns into a mature and hard-working young man.

The book is bilingual. It can be used both to acquaint English-speaking children with Ukrainian language, and to help Ukrainian kids improve their English.

Where to get it: Bukva book store, www.bukva.ua, tel. 044-359-0369, Hr 60 n