A multigenerational novel in which a journalist’s discovery of an old photograph uncovers intertwined family histories, hidden memories, and suppressed chapters of Ukraine’s twentieth-century past.

A novel set in the Ukrainian Carpathians, where a journey through remote mountain towns gradually turns into a surreal exploration of history, identity, and memory.

A story about a lonely beekeeper who remains in the Donbas grey zone after the outbreak of war, refusing to abandon either his home or his bees despite the constant danger around him.

A novel about an ambitious young man who leaves his village for Kyiv, determined to reinvent himself and find his place in the rapidly changing urban world.

A coming-of-age story set in the final years of the Soviet Union, where childhood memories unfold against the backdrop of military service, family life, and a country on the brink of change.

For World Emoji Day, we challenged ourselves to describe Ukrainian books with emojis alone. Try to guess the titles and then check your answers and discover brief descriptions ⬇️

We continue sharing short interviews with guests of this year’s Book Arsenal 📚 Which book, in the opinion of Tetiana Berezhna, could survive the next 50 years? Find out in our short interview.

Published in 2018, it brought together materials held across dozens of collections, including images obtained even from museums located in present-day Russia.

Featuring more than 700 images from over 50 museums, archives, and libraries in Ukraine and around the world, this 400-page album traces the evolution of the Tryzub from the princely era to the present day.

What could Ukraine’s coat of arms have looked like if the Tryzub had not been chosen? To mark Ukrainian Statehood Day, Chytomo wants to present you “OUR COAT OF ARMS: Ukrainian Symbols from Princely Times to the Present Day” by Andrii Hrechylo and Bohdan Zavitii.

Poland — by M. Dek’s illustrations for “W lesie,” and Slovakia — by J. Martiška’s illustrations for “Detstvo s rozprávkou”

Oleksandr Shatokhin was recognized in the Illustrators category for his artwork in “Narwhals Don’t Cry,” written by Oleksandr Podoliak and published by Krokus. The picture book follows a young narwhal learning to overcome the fear of being different.

In this category, there are also Triinu Laan’s “Poiss ja papa”, Inese Zandere’s “Putni mūs redz”, Marius Marcinkevičius’ “Mergaitė su šautuvu. Istorija apie mergaitę partizanę”, Roksana Jędrzejewska-Wróbel’s “W krainie snów” from Poland, and Marta Hlušíková’s “Leto s Marge”.

Dara Kornii was selected in the Writing category for “Why the Fern Blossoms,” illustrated by Nataliia Shmorhun and published by Ranok. The fantasy novel follows a boy who meets a household spirit and enters a magical world inspired by Ukrainian folklore.

Eve Laur’s translation of “Geenius laua all. Lapsepõlv raudse eesriide taga,” Signe Viška’s translation of “Kā ārprāts man izskaidroja pasauli,” Mantas Karvelis’ — of “Žirafos širdis labai didelė,” A. Czernow’s — of “Złota Kerstin,” and A. Fosse’s translation of “Sestra.”

This year’s list is the largest in IBBY’s 70-year history: 191 works in 52 languages from 59 states. Among them are 3 Ukrainian selections. Bozhena Antoniak was honored for her Ukrainian translation of Polish author Joanna Jagiełło’s “Birthday,” published in Ukrainian by Urbino

In Spanish, the novel appeared as “Muerte con pingüino” (“Death With a Penguin”), translated by Atalaire and published by Blackie Books. Support Chytomo on Patreon to explore more Ukrainian books getting new visual representations in the international context www.patreon.com/chytomo

In German, the novel appeared as “Picknick auf dem Eis” (“Picnic on Ice”), translated by Christa Vogel and published by Diogenes. In French, it appeared as “Le Pingouin” (“The Penguin”), translated by Nathalie Amargier and published by Liana Levi.

Its translations into more than 30 languages sold over 1 million copies. In English, “Death and the Penguin” was translated by George Bird and published by The Harvill Press in 2001.

We continue sharing interviews from this year's Book Arsenal. What book, in the opinion of writer, artist, and serviceman Valeriy Puzik could survive the next 50 years? Find out in our short interview 📚

Yaryna Chornohuz — “[dasein: defence of presence]” Chornohuz joined the Hospitallers medical battalion in 2019 and later served in the Marines. Her poetry collection, translated by Amelia Glaser with Fiona Benson and Hugh Roberts, was published by Jantar Publishing.

Artem Chekh — “Absolute Zero,” “Rock, Paper, Grenade” Chekh served in the Ukrainian army during the Russian-Ukrainian war. “Absolute Zero,” based on the diary he kept during that deployment, became a key Ukrainian book about military service before 2022.

“These were books created by authors, translators, editors, illustrators, designers, printing houses, managers, and logistics teams. They represent years of work by many people,” the publisher said.

The strike also damaged the warehouse of Denka Logistics, a logistics partner of Ukrainian publisher BookChef, destroying 800,000 books. According to BookChef, no employees of the logistics centre were injured.

The attack also affected members of Ukraine’s cultural and media communities. The homes or apartments of cultural manager Iryna Plekhova, film director and screenwriter Oleh Chornyi, director and writer Iryna Tsilyk, and media manager Vadym Miskyi were damaged or destroyed.

Ukraine endured another devastating night as one of Russia’s largest overnight attacks on Kyiv on July 2 killed at least 20 people and injured dozens more. Residential buildings and civilian infrastructure were hit across the city, with damage reported at more than 30 locations.