Olya and Olena Escape the Invaders by Olya Illichov and Maddy Shyba, art by Diana Bezukh, Durvile and UpRoute Books, 2022
Written by Maddy Shyba (in Alberta) and Olya Illichov (in the Ukraine) and warmly illustrated by Diana Bezukh (who fled the war in the Ukraine and recently came to Canada), this ultimately hopeful book aimed at readers aged 8 to 14 tells the story of two young ballerinas who flee the Ukrainian city of Mariupol as it’s being bombed during the Russian invasion. They make their way to Poland and eventually to Alberta, where they join a Ukrainian dance troupe, which helps them to feel “that their home would never be lost to them, as long as they shared it in the way they knew best.” Proceeds from the book go to Ukrainian refugees.
Introduction to Early Childhood Education and Care: An Intercultural Perspective by Carole Massing and Mary Lynne Matheson, Brush Education, 2021
“A textbook on intercultural early learning and childcare seems particularly well-suited” to contemporary Canada, write the authors of this wide-ranging volume. “This is a time for us to talk with one another across cultures—to bring divergent views into the open and to resolve conflicts in an honest and respectful manner.” With input from a diverse group of advisers, the book examines concepts, approaches and strategies that early childhood educators need to know in order to provide sensitive and culturally responsive care for children—“a foundation for equitable outcomes.”
