Ukrainian / Ukraine
Tukoni – meškanec' lisu
(Tukoni – meshkanec lisu)
(Tukoni – the forest habitant)
Bula, Oksana
(text/illus.)
L'viv: Vydavnyctvo Staroho Leva, 2018. – [38] p.
ISBN 978-617-679-492-9
Forest | Habitat | Nature | Fictional creature | Guardianship | Picture book
Reading age: 3+
White Ravens issue: 2019
Illustrator Oksana Bula (b. 1989) is frequently noted in the Ukraine for her gentle, nature-embedded picture book worlds. She has received awards for her books about trees, plants, bison, and bear. Her previous books have already introduced readers to representatives of the “Tukoni”, a mysterious species of animal that lives in the forest. Now, these are protagonists with a unique story: they are calm, mindful creatures who take care of trees, flowers, forest animals, and the change of seasons. The Tukoni seem like the guardians of this world and preserve its vitality and peaceable quality. Oksana Bula links her picture book stories together using animal protagonists, who communicate with each other. The actual protagonists are, however, nature and the magic of the forest, in which all life plays out and which is worth celebrating as an astonishing world in its own right.