This weekend, the Ivan Franko Cultural and Educational Center in Drohobych, which has recently hosted a modern youth center called Pid Kotsom, hosted another literary and artistic event. A children’s book by Svitlana Lininska, a resident of Drohobych, with illustrations by Drohobych artist Maria Hrom-Vurlovska was presented there.
The event was held at the initiative of the municipal institution “Drohobych Ivan Franko Cultural and Educational Center” of the Drohobych City Council and Gymnasium No. 5 named after Hero of Ukraine Major General Serhiy Kulchytskyi on Saturday, March 16.
The book “Mr. Cheesecake and the Double Easter Egg” is written for children aged 5 and older. The author of the book, Drohobych writer Svitlana Linynska and illustrator Maria Hrom-Vurlovska presented readers with a high-quality, colorful printed work that surprisingly intertwines Galician traditions and Ukrainian culture, and the children’s character Mr. Cheese, who is well known to kids from the author’s previous book, Mr. Cheese and the Christmas Doughnut, is full of goodness and smells like home.
The event was attended by Lesia Podobinska, the principal of Gymnasium No. 5, Anna Kotenko, the head of the gymnasium’s educational work, and teacher Natalia Sirvatka. The head of the gymnasium made a welcoming speech and encouraged all those present to read and be inspired by the literary word, bringing up our children as true patriots, and also noted the high aesthetic level of the book!
The event was moderated by the head of the CEC Maria Suprun.
Thanks to the fruitful cooperation of the Youth Center “Under the KOC” and the leadership of the gymnasium №5, a cozy family and home-like celebration of Ukrainian children’s books was held. The children, together with their parents, teachers and authors, talked in a relaxed atmosphere, tasted homemade pastries and had the opportunity to buy an interesting book.
The event was supported by Taras Sheremeta, co-organizer of the Book Store Nova bookstore, publisher and promoter of Ukrainian books.
Those present at the presentation had the opportunity to listen to excerpts from the book, learn how the illustrations were created, listen to a song about Mr. Cheese and play the game “Delicious Easter Egg”. The guests were able to immerse themselves in a fascinating fairy tale, taste delicious Easter cake and have fun.
Maundy Thursday is a special day for Mr. Syrnyk. On this day, he, the best baker in the town of Yasne, bakes Easter cakes. He bakes a variety of Easter cakes – with raisins, candied lemons, nutmeg, cheese, cream, and even saffron. And Mr. Syrynyk is especially proud of the large Easter cake that all the townspeople will enjoy on Easter! Of course, it turned out great – but the problem is that while kneading the dough, Mr. Syrnyk was also telling a girl named Orysia about the importance of math. And you can’t joke with math!
Svitlana Lininska is a writer. She was born on March 17, 1983, in Truskavets. In 2000, she entered Drohobych State Pedagogical University. Today she works as an educator. For several years, she was a contributor to the local newspaper Zhyva Voda. She is the author of a series of books about Mr. Cheese and the mother of two children.
Maria Hrom-Vurlovska is an artist. She was born on November 7, 1993 in Drohobych. She is the author of illustrations for Svitlana Lininska’s series of books about Mr. Cheese. She has a pedagogical degree. She is the mother of two young sons.
The organizers express their gratitude to the leadership of the Hero of Ukraine Serhiy Kulchytskyi Gymnasium #5, teachers, children, and the authors of the book, because this event was filled with kindness, sincerity, and love for Ukraine and our traditions. They also reminded us that the CCC unites young people and popularizes Ukrainian books, because it is important for our victory!
The book is available for purchase at the Drohobych Ivan Franko Cultural and Educational Center and the Book store nova.
The partners and co-organizers of the event were the Drohobych City Council, the Department of Culture and Tourism Development, the gymnasium No. 5 named after the Hero of Ukraine, Major General Serhiy Kulchytskyi, and the Book Store Nova.