A New Children’s Book Makes Two Special Christmas Gifts

By Carol Flynn

This past summer, a mother-daughter team from Chicago produced a children’s picture story book unlike any other, and that book just begs to be found under the Christmas tree this year by both children and adults.

The bonus is that the purchase of this book results in two gifts, because the proceeds from the sale go to a charitable fund to aid war victims.

The book is “The Plucky Ukrainian Sunflower” created by author Karen Doornebos and her artist mother Judie Anderson.

“The Plucky Ukrainian Sunflower” tells the story of a small sunflower that rallies the other sunflowers in their patch to stand up to a bear that wants to take over the local land. Aided by a nightingale, the sunflowers, working together, use their ingenuity to rebuff the bear and bring joy back to the land.

For children, this is a timeless story about standing up to bullies, working together with friends, celebrating identity, and learning some interesting facts about a country called Ukraine.

“The story is a universal one of bravery, resilience, and teamwork in standing up to bullies and other big, hairy challenges,” said Doornebos, who wrote the text, “but most importantly, the message is about hope, hope for the present and hope for the future.”

War and armed violence are never mentioned in the book, but adults will recognize the deeper meaning of the work as an allegory stemming from the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The topic, however, is relevant to Ukraine’s entire history. Dubbed the “breadbasket of Europe” because of its vast fertile plains, the Ukrainian people have repeatedly faced attempts to take over their land.

Since this is a children’s book, the illustrations are important for conveying the story.

Doornebos said that the illustrations “are more than half of the story” in a picture book. Unlike other children’s books that skimp on illustrations, every page of “The Plucky Ukrainian Sunflower” contains artwork that tells the story.

The charming and colorful illustrations were created by Anderson, known for her career as art director for the Chicago Tribune as well as an illustrator for the Britannica Student Encyclopedia and children’s textbooks.

Anderson said she thought of the bear in “The Jungle Book” for inspiration, and the bigger challenge was animating the sunflowers that walk around. However, the book’s ending was her favorite part.

“The most fun illustration was the celebration at the end of the story,” said Anderson, referring to the final scene, which includes elements of Ukrainian culture, such as folk costumes, food, and musical instruments. This scene, plus information on Ukraine presented throughout the story and facts about sunflowers on the back cover of the book, gives the book an educational component presented in a fun way.

“The book reflects some of the fairytale elements of Eastern Europe folklore in general,” said Doornebos; “The sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine, and the nightingale is the national bird, and the bear is a well-known symbol of Russia.”

The profits from sales of the book are donated to a Ukrainian organization, Save Ukraine, registered in the U.S. as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt not-for-profit charity. Save Ukraine coordinates a rescue network to evacuate people from conflict zones, rescue children abducted into Russian-controlled areas, aid abandoned seniors, and reunite families and help them rebuild their lives.

The website for Save Ukraine can be found at www.saveukraineua.org.

The book honors the spirit of Anderson’s mother, Mary Gudza Havel.

Havel’s parents came to the U.S. in 1910, and Havel was born here, but then the family returned to Ukraine. In 1926, when Havel was 16, the country was under the control of Russia, and she had to decide between Russian citizenship or returning to the country of her birth. She chose to return permanently to the U.S.

Havel brought with her Ukrainian cultural elements like folk dancing, fine embroidery and folk costumes, recipes, and pysanky, or Ukrainian Easter eggs. Her items are family heirlooms, and some of the folk art, specially creating Easter eggs, continues to be a tradition for the family.

Doornebos said that when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, she thought of her grandmother, and the people of Ukraine.

“My thoughts immediately went to the country and just how unfair this all was, that a sovereign country could be invaded this way,” said Doornebos.

Anderson shared more of the family’s story.

“My mother refused to become a Russian citizen and came back to the U.S. The rest of her family disappeared. We have no idea what happened to them, if there are any family members left,” said Anderson.

For Anderson and Doornebos, this makes the book a personal, not a political, plea for bears to just leave sunflowers alone.

“I’m very proud of what we've done," said Anderson. "Everyone talks about being worried for Ukraine, and I said then do something. We did something about it, about our concern for Ukraine."

The book is available through many sources.

Autographed copies are available both in store and online at Bookie's New and Used Books, 10324 S. Western Ave., in Chicago.

Shoppers can go to their favorite independent bookstore and ask the staff to order the book through Ingram Content Group. They can also order the book online through Bookshop.org, and a percentage of the price will go to independent bookstores.

The book is also available through Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Booksamillion.com, and Walmart.com.

The ebook has already achieved "Amazon Bestseller" status in several categories: Children's Books on Bullies, Children's European Folk Tales, and Children's Inspirational & Personal Growth.

Kirkus Reviews said “Our Verdict – Get It,” and Readers’ Favorite has awarded the book five stars, the highest rating.

Despite the rhetoric of politicians, the outcome of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia remains entirely uncertain. Even if the situation is resolved in the coming year, it will be many years before the Ukrainian people recover from the damage and suffering that has been inflicted upon them.

Books make thoughtful and entertaining gifts for children and adults for Christmas. This year, the purchase of “The Plucky Ukrainian Sunflower” can provide two gifts, the book under the tree and aid to the suffering people in Ukraine.