Katy and I would like to introduce you to 'ittle Bear's new friend, Oleksiy Oxen.
We are breaking convention here, as normally we would introduce a new character together with the planning and launch of a new book. As much as we would love to write about 'ittle Bear and her adventures in Ukraine, we acknowledge it will probably be a while before we can do that, as we will only write about a country after we have been able to visit it at least for a week.
Sometimes things happen though that lead us to break conventions. We felt this was one of those times.
The world has watched the strength and resilience of Ukraine, its people and it's leader, as it has stood up to Russia. It was a war that Russia expected would be finished in a month. Three years later, the war is still continuing.
It is clear that the Ukrainian people want to be free from Russian rule. It is also clear that whether the war impacts you personally or not, it is impacting Ukrainian children around the world who are separated from their families and homeland for their safety and survival.
Last Saturday, we donated our books to the local library in Lysekil. They were so happy to receive the same book in five languages, as it helps children develop in local language (Swedish) as well as home or foreign language development. When we were there, they gave us a tour of the library, showing with pride all the languages that they had available for local children. The librarian just happened to mention in passing that they struggle to keep up with enough books in Ukrainian to fuel to fire to learn and read that the kids have.
With that... Oleksiy was born.
Oleksiy was born with the idea that we will translate our existing books to Ukrainian. Ukrainian children, wherever they are, should have the ability to learn and grow, maintain their native language, even while they may be attending school and living abroad.
We will translate them, with a native language Ukrainian speaker and human translation, not AI.
We will do the graphic design and release them.
As long as Russia is invading Ukraine, we will have Ukrainian e-books available for free (or the minimum allowed cost on our hosting platforms) and will sell print-on-demand at cost. We continue our mission of providing books at no charge to schools, libraries, and non-profits.
We would like to invite you to join us. We know that many of you want to show support for Ukraine. Now you have a concrete way to do so.
We have set a goal of $2500. All money will be used only to pay our Ukrainian translator, Mila, in Kyiv and for graphic design work to release the books in hardback, paperback, and e-book formats (note: in compliance with local laws, sales and income tax will be assessed and paid as we are a corporation, not a non-profit). Sarah and Katy donate all of our time.
Why Oxen?
Ukraine didn't have an official national animal in the way that France does (rooster). So, more like Ireland and Sweden, we had to look for what animals were associated with Ukraine. We found falcon, oxen, lynx, and nightingales. Katy and I talked. Birds are beautiful, and the falcon can be fierce, but we found both the description and the image of the oxen to be an example of what the world has seen from Ukrainians: hardworking, resilient, and calm-natured.
What could better describe a nation and people under siege, who have constantly, steadfastly, and creatively stood up to oppression?
Why Oleksiy?
As you have seen, we always alliterate the name of a book's character, such as:
René Rooster, Thierry Tupp (Swedish), Gérard Gallo (Spanish)
Siobhan Sheep, Fiona Får (Swedish)
Mårten Moose
Therefore, since we had selected the Oxen, we needed an "O". I searched for Ukrainian names beginning in O, and found Oleksiy which means "Defender of Mankind". At least for those of us living in Europe, it isn't hard for us to see Oleksiy Oxen of Ukraine as a "Defender of Mankind".
A bit about Oleksiy
Oleksiy is dressed in camoflauge combat clothes, as he is defending Ukraine, and the gates of Europe from Russian rule. Oleksiy remains strong and steadfast, determined and innovative. He seeks creative solutions to a time when he can live in peace, fish the waters of his local streams, return to study to be a computer programmer instead of a soldier, and show 'ittle Bear the beauty of his country and the warmth of his people. But as long as his country is at war, so is he.
Our Ukrainian Donation Campaign
For your donation, we have the following Kickstarter-esque levels:
Any amount - receive a PDF of 'ittle Bear and Oleksiy as thank you
$10 or more - receive a sticker
$25 or more - receive a pin
$50 or more - receive a shopping bag
$100 or more - receive a t-shirt
$250 or more - receive a sweatshirt
$500 - dedicate the translation of one of our four books in your name or an honorary name
You can donate via our form for credit card payment or directly by Venmo to @Sarah-WillsCarlsson or Swish 123471 4853.
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