The community groups Compass Community Care and Evolve Help Ukraine helped organise the Ukrainian children’s project, which began a year ago at Compass’ Bentleigh premises.
Artists supported children to dream up the story, about kids and creatures from Ukraine and Australia deciding to quit school and head to Mars.
Finished product: The cover of the book The Big Space Adventure.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Nikita Rozmosh, 9, of Bentleigh East, painted a riot of images, from a witch flying to Mars on a broomstick to a flying green and yellow dinosaur.
Three years ago, in real life, Nikita and his family fled their home city, Odessa, in fear for their lives because of the deadly bombings and rocket attacks raining down on the city.
His mother, Anna Rozmosh, said the Kids’ Own Publishing book connected Nikita with other Ukrainian children and with the images and language of his culture.
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“This project helped children from Ukraine to talk and play,” Anna said. “I think this was a beautiful idea.”
Petro Lazoriv, 13, drew vivid images of a wolf, a pineapple planet, and a smiling blob of dough called a kolobok, from a fairytale.
His father, Taras Lazoriv, said the project distracted the children from the war. When writing and drawing “they were not thinking about that. It was a different track, that’s why it was so important. It was separated from real world.”
Petro “was so energised” creating the book, Taras said. “He’d tell us a story about how they were drawing something and about their ideas. So for us, it was very nice to hear.
“It was good for him to relax, a little bit.”
Kids’ Own Publishing’s 20th birthday will be held at Abbotsford Convent on Sunday from 12.30pm, with a free workshop on making books, and from 4pm there will be speeches, food (including kolobok biscuits) and drinks.
The sessions are open to the public, but registration is required. The details are on Kids’ Own Publishing Instagram and Facebook pages.
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