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An exhibition of the best illustrations of A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA Publishers opened in the National Book and Printing Museum
(Lina Kostenko offered to create a permanent gallery “the A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA Fairytale House” in the center of Kyiv)
Background: Anatoliy Borsiuk and Andriy Kurkov
This time, the First Lady of Ukraine made a real holiday to her children, having taken them instead of a boring reception to the opening of the best genuine illustrations of Ivan Malkovych’s A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA Publishers, “For Kids Aged 2 to 102…”
The exhibition took place in the National Book and Printing Museum, located in the premises of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The visitors of the exhibition were met my Malkovych himself, and he personally led a small excursion for the children of the President Yushchenko. “This is the Snow Queen. And this is the Little Prince,..” the publisher says with warmth in his voice.
“Yes, the girls are now reading exactly the books of A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA!”, Mrs. Kateryna Yushchenko catches up. At last, the President’s children received some exclusive presents – the genuine illustrations to the books. Mrs. Kateryna Yushchenko gave the publisher as good as he gave her children. She congratulated him on his birthday and presented him with a big Pysanka of the Yushchenko family.
Then the President’s wife took her word. Everyone learned from her that Malkovych celebrates a Jubilee – 45 years.
“And this very day I am so happy to see these wonderful illustrations that came to this world thanks to this person. Mr. Ivan has such energy! He feels the children’s spirit!”
“When I am abroad I always go to bookstores to see what I can buy for my children. But such books, as you do, I cannot find nowhere else. It is so pleasant that now one can come to a bookstore in Paris or London and buy a book from the Ukrainian publishers. But, most importantly, we can read a fairytale and believe that the good always overcomes the evil…”
“Your books return us the feelings that one can feel only as a child: an unbreakable faith that the good always wins, that the Universe around us can be changed by a sole wish to do so!”
Inspired by such a speech, Malkovych said that the illustrations to the A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA books were painted by “those who didn’t sleep for nights”, and that together with their works, the best Ukrainian artists were also there at the exhibition: “the wonderful and genial” Kost’ Lavro, Vladyslav Yerko, Zhenia Gapchinska, Sofia Uss, Kateryna Shtanko, Victoria Palchun, Oleh Petrenko-Zanevsky etc.
The President’s children did not at all feel bored at the exhibition, as there were plenty of their coevals there, though not the “star children”. Except for the one-year son of Oleh Skrypka.
In spite of the fact, that it was a children’s exhibition, there were a lot of well-known “grown-ups” there: Lina Kostenko, Vsevolod Nestayko, the actor Bohdan Beniuk, who played a role of a schoolboy called Hryts' (from Ivan Franko’s story, from which the name of the Publishers emerged), Andriy Kurkov, all the fabulous illustrators of A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA etc.
A lottery was also played at the exhibition, where the prizes were several replicas by Yerko and the collection of the “Harry Potter” book series.
Among the works of the best illustrators of A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA were the illustrations for “The Little Prince” by Saint-Exupéry, “The Children’s Gospel”, “Lisa and Her Dreams”, for the book for youngsters called “A Small Bunny in the Big City or HONEY for MOMMY”, for the book “Dog and his Friends on the Moon”.
Along with those, the guests also viewed the genuine illustrations to “The Snow Queen”, “Child Roland and Other Knight’s Tales”, “Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass”, “The ABC”, “100 Fairy Tales”, “The Night Before Christmas”.
Materials and photos by: "Glavred", the press service of the President, and "A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA Publishers"
