Писанка Українським Дітям

A Pysanka for Ukrainian Children

Author:  Леся Храплива (Lesia Chraplywa)

Illustrator:  Петро Андусів (Peter Andrusiv)

Format:  Softcover

Pages:  ?         

Language:  Ukrainian

Illustrations:  color drawings

Publisher:  «Українсьим Дітям» (“For Ukrainian Children: USA)

Availability:  Unknown

Acquired:  No

This is a sweet little book with poems and stories for children about pysanky. I can’t recall having seen the actual book, but the contents are available for viewing on-line here.

The book was written by by Lesia Chraplywa, who was born in L’viv in 1927, and became a displaced person during WWII.  She studied medicine in Munich, and then emigrated to New York, where she studied biology.  Lesya became active in the Ukrainian community, especially in Ukrainian education and literature.  She published many children’s books, some of which I recall reading as a child, and many of which have since been reprinted in Ukraine.  Some of the books have been made available on this website.

One of the poems in the book is about a girl, Odarka, writing pysanky:

As she writes red pysanky, all sorts of symbols beg her to include them–roosters, stars, horses–because each wants to help glorify the Savior’s great holiday. They explain to her  that they have been written on pysanky in Ukraine since ancient times.  Odarka thinks hard, and gets to her work, and includes all the symbols on her pysanka on this Easter Saturday.  (I know, you really need the rhymes to enjoy it properly.)

You can read more poems and several stories from the book on line.  Enjoy!

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