Three Ukrainian books have been included in The White Ravens 2026 international catalogue of recommended literature for children and young people, compiled by experts at the International Youth Library in Munich. This was reported by The Old Lion Publishing House, and the publishers Ranok and Murkit.
The selected titles are “Who Are Carnivorous Plants?” by Oleksii Kovalenko, “This Is a Girl Thing! 36 Stories That Will Free You from Stereotypes” by Anna Povkh, and “Holiday Bingo” by Sasha Voitsekhivska.
According to the description, in “Who Are Carnivorous Plants?” scientific facts are combined with an accessible style and humour. The author explains the various ways carnivorous plants hunt: some catch insects, others prey on tadpoles or mosquito larvae, and certain species hunt underground. The book aims to help children discover unusual natural phenomena and view the plant world from a new perspective.
“Thanks to a well-judged balance between text and images, the book conveys fascinating facts about the astonishingly wide variety of plants on Earth that eat other living creatures,” the The White Ravens catalogue notes.
The catalogue recommends the book for ages 9 and up.
The illustrations were created by Dariia Filipova. It was published by The Old Lion Publishing House.
“This Is a Girl Thing!” tells 36 stories from contemporary women about how stereotypes have affected their lives. After each story, Povkh aims to help readers understand what prejudice lies behind the experience and why it is worth questioning. The book is designed to help teenagers recognise familiar situations and realise that others face similar things too, and to consider whether their own wishes align with what is expected of them.
The catalogue highlights the combination of women’s personal stories with an explanation of gender stereotypes.
“Enhanced by bright, life-affirming illustrations, the book aims to support and build self-confidence so that many girls (but also boys and non-binary teenagers) do not grow up with the (mistaken) belief that something is wrong with them simply because they, and the world they live in, do not fit familiar clichés,” the The White Ravens catalogue notes.
The book is recommended for children aged 11 and up.
The illustrations were created by Olha Haidesh. The edition was published by Ranok.
“Holiday Bingo” by Voitsekhivska is about a competition between magical characters and all the secrets behind traditions we know well. The heroine, Victoria, wrote a letter to St Nicholas, prepared biscuits, and found the biggest pillow in the house. But at the last moment an unexpected rival to the magical old man appears: the Tooth Fairy.
This year, 216 books in 46 languages from 62 countries and territories were included in The White Ravens catalogue.
The catalogue praised the humorous nature of the story and its illustrations, created by Olha Rebdelo.
“Sasha Voitsekhivska and Olha Rebdelo tell an exceptionally engaging story with wonderfully funny situational humour in a slightly ironic tone. The illustrations highlight several comic moments,” the The White Ravens catalogue says.
The book is recommended for children aged 5 and up.
It was published by Murkit.
About Oleksii Kovalenko:
- a Ukrainian researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences, author of popular science publications on botany, lecturer and blogger;
- works at the National Museum of Natural History in Kyiv in the botany department, where he conducts research and runs lecture series and educational interactive programmes;
- his books include “Ordinary Exoticism. The Story of Plants We Eat”, “Fruit vs Vegetables”, and “A Planet in Paws. How Animals Protect the Environment”.
About Anna Povkh:
- a Ukrainian writer from Rivne region;
- works at the NGO Girls;
- co-author of the charity anthology “She Is the One Fighting” featuring stories of Ukrainian women defenders; “This Is a Girl Thing!” is Povkh’s debut book, which made the Top BaraBuka list in the “Non-fiction Book 2025” category.
About Sasha Voitsekhivska:
- a Ukrainian writer and blogger;
- by profession, an engineer of aerospace control systems;
- received a literary scholarship under the “I3 – Idea, Impulse, Innovation” programme. In 2018 she became a laureate of the “Write a Book About Me” competition, and later became an author for the children’s magazine Piznaiko.
- author of a number of children’s books, including “Marusia’s Important Tasks” (2021), “Marusia’s Important Tasks” (2021),“The Secret Council of Winds” (2022) and others.
About The White Ravens:
- an annual catalogue of recommended literature for children and young people, prepared by experts at the International Youth Library in Munich;
- aims to introduce an international professional audience to publications from different countries, languages and literary traditions that stand out for their artistic quality, content or themes.
- books included in the catalogue have the opportunity to be showcased outside the country of publication;
- this year, selected titles from the catalogue will be presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair, and all the books will be showcased at the International Youth Library stand during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2027.