Dzvinka Hayda, Author and Illustrator

Reviews

“Dzvinka Hayda has woven an enchanting tale with lovely illustrations that colorfully portray the ancient and beautiful traditions of Ukrainian Easter.”

Kateryna Yushchenko, First Lady of Ukraine 2005-2010

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“In this picture book, a little girl searches for an Easter gift for her mother.

Dzvinya, a ... girl with a “very kind heart, a sweet smile, and two long braids,” lives in a Ukrainian village. She hopes to surprise her mother with an Easter present that is just as special as the traditional pysanka (decorated egg) that her babtsya (grandmother) always gives her for her holiday basket. With a gentle narrative touch and the lovely, homemade simplicity of her painted illustrations, Hayda sends Dzvinya to a flowery meadow, searching for the perfect gift. Young readers will enjoy the repeated pattern in the text as Dzvinya spies a chirping bird in a tree, tries in vain to catch it for her mother, and incurs the same result when she attempts to nab a meowing cat and then a nose-wiggling bunny. Her sadness vanishes when she encounters a friendly nesting hen with an egg to spare. Back at home, Dzvinya knows “just what to do,” gathering paint pots, beeswax for her kistka (drawing tool), and a candle to create a pysanka for her mother inspired by her day. The book includes the definitions and pronunciations of Ukrainian words used in the story and a description of the symbolism of colors and designs found in the art of pysanky. (Based on Ukraine’s traditions, this tale will resonate deeply with adults in light of the tragedy unfolding in that country.)

Children will be charmed by this tender story and artwork inspired by Ukrainian culture.”

Kirkus Reviews  (Review)

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“Wonderful, warm, and authentic
I used this book to teach a class of pre-K (ages 4-5) children about pysanky and Ukrainian culture. They were entranced by the book's illustrations (and so were all the other adults!) I purchased Dzvinya's Gift For Mama after looking at all the other (very few) pysanky books available for children, and finding them either too Russian, not genuine in terms of pictures and words, or too sad or open ended of a story for young children. This story, however, was PERFECT, and so very sweet. The kids loved it. After the book the children made their own pysanky, drawing with crayons on matte white plastic eggs. The story had encouraged them with the simple, bright colors and naive style, and the inspiration Dzvinya herself uses for her pysanka also gave them a chance to learn about traditional designs while using their own imaginations to invent their own. Their work came out great, (lots of suns, clouds, hearts, wiggly 'spring sounds', flowers, and even triangles, ladders, an envelope, and a house!) and I think this book absolutely helped!!
I would say this is the perfect book for anyone looking to introduce Ukrainian, and specifically Carpathian, folk culture to small children, as the pictures include the landscapes and other cultural elements (embroidery, animals, architecture) needed to fully immerse a reader in a new culture.
Thank you so very to Ms. Hayda for writing and illustrating this lovely, genuine, inspiring little book. I will absolutely purchase her other works as well."

Amazon review

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