24 February 2026 marks the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Tales of EUkraine is one of many expressions of solidarity from European publishers towards their Ukrainian colleagues and the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who have sought refuge in Europe during the ongoing war.
On this sad anniversary, Tales of EUkraine prefers to look to the future with hope, and it does so with five children's books recently published through our project, thanks to the collaboration between the Federation of European Publishers, coordinator of TEUk, The Old Lion Publishing House (publisher of the five titles) and the Ukrainian printing company Unisoft:
- Yakyv and the Wet Evening, Kateryna Mikhalitsyna, illustrated by Hrasia Oliyko
- The Secret Superpower, Slava Svitova, illustrated by Oleksander Shatokhin
- The Story Told by Zuka, Grasya Oliyko
- A Ghost That Couldn't Fall Asleep, Natalka Maletych, illustrated by Natala Tchorna
- Fogi, Oleksander Shatokhin
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| Fogi |
Between December 2025 and January 2026, almost 90,000 copies of these books were published and distributed in Belgium, France, Italy and the Netherlands in bilingual Ukrainian-French, Ukrainian-Italian and Ukrainian-Dutch editions. The stories in these beautiful books teach important lessons for young and older people alike: that there is no need to rush growing up, that crying does not mean you are weak, that there are also tears of joy, that kindness is also a superpower, that all animals deserve a safe haven and that loneliness can be scarier than ghosts.
In the coming months, the books will be distributed by the Cultural Centre of the Ukrainian Embassy in France, the Ukrainian Women Association in Belgium, the Italian Publishers Association in Italy, and Vataha - Platform for Ukrainian Art and Culture in the Netherlands.
As we leaf through these pages, we can only wish all the children and their families who will hold these books in their hands a good read, with the hope that the war will end as soon as possible and that all of Ukraine can be free again.
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| The Secret Superpower |