“My Little Fatherland”

Nearly 2,000 works were submitted to the Organizing Committee of Ukraine’s National Children’s Library, with more than 1,400 children from 26 oblasts, the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea, Kyiv, and Sevastopil taking part in the competition.

The jury divided all the works according to age categories: ages 5-9 (Valentyna Tarasova from the village of Kuznetsove in Mykolaiv oblast won first place in this nomination); ages 11-16 (winner: Ivan Koptsevych from the village of Bekhtery in Kherson oblast); and in the category “Collective hand-made books” the winner was My Village of Zaborol in Volyn Oblast.

Each of the competition works was decorated in an original and interesting way: there were albums, hand-written or computer-printed works, with drawings, photos, embroideries, and macrame serving as illustrations. With immense love the young writers described the beauty and uniqueness of the villages and towns where they were born and are living now.

There are stories about fellow countrymen and popular personalities from various regions. For example, one contestant wrote a whole essay on his village’s past and present, presenting the material in the form of a reference book (naming streets, listing houses, describing the most popular surnames of residents, and even counting the number of cattle and poultry owned by his fellow countrymen).

As the jury members noted, it was difficult to select the best works because each was unique (no two were alike). The handmade- books were written not only in prose but also in verse, sometimes leavened with humor. For this reason 21 participants received awards, including cameras, candies, and toys, and four participating libraries received televisions and new book collections.

The awards ceremony took place in Ukraine’s National Children’s Library. This was a real celebration marked by a heartfelt and cheerful atmosphere. Those who wish to view the contestants’ unique works can visit their own regional libraries, because after the New Year and Christmas holidays the exhibit of hand-made books will travel to every region of Ukraine.