{"id":19234,"date":"2025-09-13T03:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T03:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/19234\/"},"modified":"2025-09-13T03:00:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T03:00:08","slug":"ukrainian-refugee-children-create-space-travel-book-to-process-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/19234\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukrainian refugee children create space travel book to process war"},"content":{"rendered":"

The community groups Compass Community Care and Evolve Help Ukraine helped organise the Ukrainian children\u2019s project, which began a year ago at Compass\u2019 Bentleigh premises.<\/p>\n

Artists supported children to dream up the story, about kids and creatures from Ukraine and Australia deciding to quit school and head to Mars.<\/p>\n

\"Finished<\/p>\n

Finished product: The cover of the book The Big Space Adventure.Credit: Chris Hopkins<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

His mother, Anna Rozmosh, said the Kids\u2019 Own Publishing book connected Nikita with other Ukrainian children and with the images and language of his culture.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis project helped children from Ukraine to talk and play,\u201d Anna said. \u201cI think this was a beautiful idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Petro Lazoriv, 13, drew vivid images of a wolf, a pineapple planet, and a smiling blob of dough called a kolobok, from a fairytale.<\/p>\n

His father, Taras Lazoriv, said the project distracted the children from the war. When writing and drawing \u201cthey were not thinking about that. It was a different track, that\u2019s why it was so important. It was separated from real world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Petro \u201cwas so energised\u201d creating the book, Taras said. \u201cHe\u2019d tell us a story about how they were drawing something and about their ideas. So for us, it was very nice to hear.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was good for him to relax, a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kids\u2019 Own Publishing\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The sessions are open to the public, but registration is required. The details are on Kids\u2019 Own Publishing Instagram<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> pages.<\/p>\n

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