Ukranian children's story of deliverance and hope

Tell Me A Story Babushka by Carola Schmidt is an illustrated book recommended for children 5-8 years old. I don’t often review children’s literature, but the author’s story is based on her grandmother’s true experience as a child in Ukraine during the man-made famine known as the Holodomor (1932 to 1933). The relevant topic, as well as the old-world flavor of the full-color illustrations by Anita Barghigiani, piqued my curiosity as to how the author would make the story of interest to young readers. It did not disappoint.

The story opens with young Karina in the kitchen with her Baba (Grandmother) who tells her a story of a young Ukrainian girl who lived in a fairy-tale-like cottage with a thatched roof. The family was poor but happy. When you turn the page, the happy life is overtaken by “monsters” (Soviet Communist Party). These monsters took away the Ukrainian’s freedom and their food. This caused the death of many Ukrainians but the monsters promised to kill anyone who hid food from them. 

When the monsters arrived at Karina’s cottage, she hides under her bed, but they find her. Babushka explains to her granddaughter that, “Years later, these horrible happenings would be called the Holodomor, my darling […]. They took her whole family, including the other families, to a horrible camp in Siberia.”

 

This story has an unhappy start based on a dark time in history but the author does not dwell on this aspect. Her telling transforms into a story of deliverance and hope when the young girl, who is separated from her parents in the camp, finds a Matryoshka nesting doll under her mattress on the floor. Inside is a message. I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil the experience for the reader.

This slice-of-life vignette about Author Carola Schmidt’s grandmother and her escape from a prisoner of war camp in Siberia to freedom is a timely tale in today’s world. Since my children are grown, I sat down with a nine-year-old friend, Nathaniel, who read it to me. He gave it a thumbs up. I asked what he liked about it and he said, “I like that it has history in it. And I like how the author explained things like that Baba means Grandmother in Ukrainian, and that Holodomor is a compound Ukrainian word that means hunger and plague.” (This child is currently learning Hebrew as a second language). Then he smiled and bobbed his head almost snickering. “And she says she refuses to capitalize Soviet communist party.”

I highly recommend this book. The story, the artwork, and the message of hope beyond the darkness. I give it a high-five stars and recommend it to parents who care about Ukraine's current struggle as a way to introduce their children to past and current events, and Nathaniel recommends people who enjoy this book to check out the Grandma’s Attic series by Arleta Richardson or her Beyond the Orphan Train series.

As BookHookup, I am a long-time book reviewer and I received Tell Me a Story Babushka as a free review copy and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. This review is posted in collaboration with #Blackberry Book Tours. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

About the Author

Carola Schmidt lives in Curitiba, Brazil. Called Carolina at birth, she was nicknamed Carola by her Baba (grandmother) Amelia who emigrated to Brazil from Ukraine. Wanting to know more about her grandmother’s homeland, Carola traveled to present-day Ukraine. She returned understanding that our memories are like a favorite blanket creating a cozy feeling of belonging. It was in Ukraine where she decided to write this story―a tale of how she imagined her missing family history and their escape from a difficult time long ago. Today, Carola writes children’s books and works as a pediatric oncology pharmacist, helping children going through cancer treatments.

Carola Schmidt is an award-winning author of kids' cancer books, and uses her experience as a pediatric oncology pharmacist to write scientific books for Springer Nature. You can usually find her on Twitter @CarolaSchmidt.