Tell me a Story Babushka by Carola Schmidt

 

Some of my happiest childhood memories revolve around the time spent with my great-grandmother and grandmother.

My favourite time of day was afternoon siestas, as that was the time my great-grandmother or Biji as I would call her told us stories. Under the slow moving fan in hot sweltering weather she would tell us stories of real heroic women from freedom fighters like herself to scientists like Madame Curie.

Stories that talked of the past but inspired the future.

Tell me a Story Babushka by Carola Schmidt vividly brought back those sun-soaked mesmerizing memories of the past.

The book starts off with Karina and her grandmother, Babushka, spending time bonding while making bread. This is when Karina asks her to tell her a story of not just princesses but monsters too.

It is herein that the story takes a turn into history and the past. Babushka narrates the story of a little girl in Ukraine happy and content till the monsters descend upon the village. It goes on to narrate her capture, torture, starvation and separation from her family. Babushka then reveals her subsequent escape with all the other children from her village to finding her freedom in a new land.

The story recounts the horrific events in Soviet Ukraine during 1932-33 called Holodomor which is derived from moryty holodom meaning ‘ to kill by starvation’.  This genocide of the Ukrainian people carried out by the Soviet government killed over 14 million people and separated families forever.

The books use of color to move the story seamlessly from happier times to tougher situations and then back to comforting times transports the reader to the horror of the times while Vinicius Melo’s heartening illustrations ensure that young readers are never overwhelmed by the story.

Carola’s introduction of Babushka kneading dough while recounting a tale on starvation really drives the starkness of the situation home like a dagger in the heart.

This folktale full of hardships, love and our need to keep moving on for our family’s sake is a great way to explain immigration and the often hard stories that go behind it.

A book that reminds us to not forget the past and hopefully learn from it.

A book of survival against all odds.

So glad I got this readers copy, it was truly empowering to read. Hope you liked my fair and honest review.

Happy Reading☺