One of the things that I wanted to do while in Ukraine was to stock up on books in Ukrainian for my kids. I grew up with paperbacks of storybooks that were printed in Ukraine. Each one had a big purple stamp on the title page that says 'Printed in the USSR.' Needless to say, captivating children's literature was scarce and what did exist was full of references to Lenin and lacked the slick bright colors that leap out and grab a 4 year-old. The color and texture combination that Disney has perfected to lure all little girls across the globe to the magic of 'Disney Princesses."
(When I worked in Ukraine in the early-90's it was very difficult to get high-quality paper so when I helped some artists translate the copy in their catalogs I'd get a gift of a catalog that was on matte, recycled paper with ink that was off-color. Or they shipped their materials over to the Baltics to be printed on Finish paper at a high cost.)
My mom had been bringing back books for kids for a few years now, so I was eager to shop around and see the options first-hand. I knew that the selection was good. I wanted books, workbooks, puzzles and workbooks for kids entering school (who can recognize letters and sound out some words, but who were just getting started). I also wanted some magazines, videos, and games that had Ukrainian writing. It needed to be flashy and interesting for a kid to what to pick up and read.
I had some recommendations and suggestions. I'll write up my top 3 finds.
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