Fairy tales, the Gospel, and Shevchenko’s rarities

A personal exhibition of the famous artist Kost Lavro, this year’s lau­reate of Taras Shevchenko Prize, opened in the National Museum of Ukrainian Literature. He is a widely known illustrator of magazines and books for children. Just in the last five years he has made illustrations for Nich­ Pered Rizdvom (Christmas Eve), 100 Kazok (100 Fairy Tales), Riz­d­via­na Rukavychka (Christmas Mitten), Ukrainska Abetka (Ukrainian Alpha­bet), Kozak Petro Mamaryha (Cossack Petro Mamaryha), and Pan Kotsky (Mis­ter Catz), all published by A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA publishing house; Carnival published by Calligram in Switzerland; Cat and Rooster publi­shed by Knopf, New York; Great Wolf’s Christmas published by Bayard Press, France, and many other books that were presented and received awards at international book fairs. Nich Pered Rizdvom won a few best-book awards, including the title of the Best Book for Kids of 2007, which it won at the all-Ukrainian Book of the Year compe­ti­ti­on. It also won the first class certificate at the Book Art contest (Russia, 2007). Lavro made pheno­me­nal illustrations for The Gospel for Children, Shev­chenko’s Haidamaky, and various folk stories. We should also remind that the exhibitions “Taras Shev­chen­ko. Lost and Returned Rari­ties” (rare manu­scripts, photographs, letters, et­chings and sketches linked to Ukrai­nian poet, which have recently been returned to Ukraine from the USA), and “Call of Mountains” by the very ori­ginal artist Paraska Plytka-Horytsvit are still on a display at the Museum.