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Review by Shelley A. Leedahl
https://reviews.skbooks.com/babas-babushka-magical-ukrainian-adventures/ Before one reads a single word of Baba’s Babushka, it’s evident that this illustrated children’s book is far beyond the ordinary. The 175-page hardcover emanates quality, from the phenomenal production – including colourful, full-page illustrations opposite the text pages, each bordered in a Ukrainian embroidery design – to the heft of the paper used, the contributions of three skilled illustrators, the inclusion of Ukrainian recipes, and a glossary for the numerous Ukrainian words used in the text. The package is highly impressive … and then there are the four heartwarming, connected tales Mutala spins within the book. Saskatchewan’s Mutala is already known for her award-winning, Ukrainian-themed children’s books, including More Baba’s, Please! and My Dearest Dido: A Holodomor Story, but this latest publication – essentially four books in one – is her tour de force. In each magical story, young Natalia – who lives on a farm near Hafford, SK – is whisked into her ancestral past when her recently-departed and much-loved grandmother’s (Baba’s) colourful babushka (head scarf) materializes – via flowers, swirling leaves, or “a few white feathers” – on the girl’s own head. Nature-loving Natalia is lifted into the sky and further – “she burst through clouds and rushed past stars, nearly touching the moon as she sped through the heavens” – before she finds herself transported into her Baba’s life in the “old country,” Ukraine. Readers first travel with the blonde-haired girl to “A Magical Ukrainian Christmas,” where she joins a loving and devout family traditionally attired in blue (females) or black (males) vests over white blouses or shirts decorated with red embroidery at their twelve-dish Christmas Eve meal. The interloping girl – she’s invisible to her ancestors – is familiar with the numerous traditions, ie: “three loaves of round, braided kolach bread had been stacked on top of each other and placed specially in the centre of the table, each shaped in the circle of God’s unending love” and feels at home. On the wall she spies her grandparents’ wedding photo – I assume this is an actual photo of the author’s grandparents – and makes the connection that the girl at the table beside her is, in fact, her Baba. In the remaining stories – “A Magical Ukrainian Easter,” “A Magical Ukrainian Wedding,” and “A Magical Ukrainian Journey” – Mutala includes descriptions of and explanations for the various traditions, and we witness Baba’s life unfold. Each story follows a similar pattern and demonstrates the Ukrainian family’s warmth, faith, customs, and fun-loving nature. I learned about the relevance of symbols (candles, honey); about cultural superstitions, ie: a spider and web are “placed on the Christmas tree for luck,” and a “high, beautifully golden loaf of paska [means] a year of blessings;” and about the Easter pysanky (colourfully decorated eggs) legend, where “a chained-up dragon keeps track of how many eggs are made, and if one year there aren’t enough, the dragon will be released and destroy everything.” This thoughtful, imaginative and beautifully-crafted collection of culturally- significant stories is a blessing in itself. May Baba’s Babushka be enjoyed far and wide. Review by Catherine Bellamy
resource_links_-_october_2017.pdf More Babas, Please! is a fun, heartwarming poem about “babas”, the Ukrainian word for “grandmother”. However, the book is not just about Ukrainian grandmothers, but all grandmothers of different cultures, nationalities, shapes, sizes, and appearances. The poem celebrates grandmothers and the relationship they have with their grandchildren. The rhythm of the poem is fun and upbeat and the rhyming scheme is sure to make it a favourite to read aloud. It is a sentimental and sweet book for the narrator declares they don’t need candy or sweets or new clothes, all they need is their baba. Each page ends with, “More babas, please!” This short, predictable text makes it an excellent story to read out loud and get children to participate. The soft illustrations evoke feelings of warmth and happiness, adding a touch of sentimentality to the text. Each picture features a grandchild being cared for and loved by their baba. This is a great book to read when talking about family, especially grandmothers, or even the history of Ukrainians in Canada. In fact, in the author’s note, author Marion Mutala discusses briefly the history of Ukrainians who immigrated to Saskatchewan and dedicates her book to those Ukrainian pioneers, as well as to all women in every culture. She also notes that a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation for Grandmothers for Grandmothers, which helps grandmothers in Africa care for their grandchildren who are orphaned due to the AIDS epidemic. Review by Candice James
https://www.facebook.com/548677701931198/photos/a.647937188671915.1073741828.548677701931198/941652609300370/?type=3&theater Marion Mutala opens the book with 3 poems that open the door to the Ukrainian Daughter’s Dance: “Memories”, “Washboard”, and “Old Farmhouse” focus a soft lens on her youth and open our hearts and minds to the nostalgia of our own youthful days . In the poem “Depression” Mutala compares this intangible disease to a beast stalking her sister: “Stalking beast attacks / Wears mask / Camouflage the blues” And then ends the poem with what seems like a cure “of sorts” which really isn’t a cure at all. “Once a wild caged animal / Medicated / then born again / She acts like a simple child” “Seductress” brings into focus the perils of falling prey to the liquid flames of alcohol of which fallout can create holocausts, tsunamis, and total destruction of soul of a long period of substance abuse. From opening line: “She looks at me with magnetic dark eyes” To the ending stanza “She falls asleep in my arms / My bottle of lust, my sparkling bottle of rum / Slowly, one ounce at a time” My favourite poem in the book is “Effect”, a nature poem, short, sweet and filled with vivid imagery: “Nature encompasses / a sundog / beautifying / the cold sky” And what a fitting ending to end the book with the title poem “Ukrainian Daughter’s Dance”. Mutala proudly displays her heritage in these excerpted lines: “I am what I am I say” “I’ll always be a prairie girl / and daughter of a Ukrainian matya” “And a Ukrainian Prairie daughter will always / dance barefoot in the black dirt" Dancing through the pages to the magical rhythm Mutala’s poetry exudes is enjoyable indeed. About the Poet: Marion Mutala has a master’s degree in education administration and has taught for 30 years. With a mad passion for the arts she loves to write, sing, folkdance, play guitar, travel and read. She is the author of the bestselling and award-winning children’s book trilogy Baba’s Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Christmas, Baba’s Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Easter and Baba’s Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Wedding. Her fourth book Grateful was published in 2014. Ukrainian Daughter’s Dance is her debut poetry book. About the reviewer: Candice James is Poet Laureate Emerita; Board Advisor Royal City Literary Arts Society; Director Pacific Festival of the Book. She is author of eleven poetry books: the first "A Split In The Water” (Fiddlehead Poetry Books 1979) and the most recent is ”Merging Dimensions” (Ekstasis Editions). Her awards include Bernie Legge Artist Cultural award; Pandora’s Collective Citizenship award; Pentasi B Woman of Prestige award. Further info at www.candicejames.com. Review by Alison Slowski
https://reviews.skbooks.com/babas-babushka-a-magical-ukrainian-wedding/ Baba's Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Wedding is an engrossing picture book, rendered in beautiful detail by author Marion Mutala and artist Amber Rees, that tells the heartwarming tale of a young woman named Natalia. Natalia, aided by the memory of her grandmother, goes on a magical journey to learn more about her family's – and people's – rich history. During Natalia’s walk down memory lane, she visits all the important moments which involved her grandparents’ time together as young people. The story details her grandparents’ courtship, including the meeting of their two families before and during their seven-day Ukrainian wedding. Mutala uniquely and accurately depicts the Ukrainian customs that are special to a couple’s wedding, such as the gift- or pumpkin-giving before a couple agrees to marry, and the giving of sheshkeh, pinecones made of dough, to welcome their guests in their village to their wedding. Most special of all, this book incorporates the tradition of the korovai, the traditional braided wedding bread, into its mention of the festivities. The inclusion of a korovai recipe in the back is a lovely touch. Mutala’s accurate portrayal of these customs will speak volumes to readers both familiar and unfamiliar with them. Her playful dialogue between the large cast of characters runs through everything, sprinkled with Ukrainian words and their meaning. Through this, she demonstrates a love of and desire to preserve the Ukrainian way of life. As Ukraine has experienced hard times of strife and war, this is the premise for the wedding couple’s need to emigrate to Canada directly after the wedding. However, their traditions and customs will not be lost, and will live on in the new country of Canada where they will grow the roots of their new family. The Saskatchewan Publishers Group Weekly Book Pick is a program that allows people in the Saskatchewan community to review books by Saskatchewan publishers, most of which are also written by Saskatchewan authors. The program is intended to increase the profile and awareness of all the great publishing that goes on within Saskatchewan. Review by Joanne Peters. Published by the Manitoba Library Association.
Each of the books in Marion Mutala Baba’s Babushka series can be read by itself, but, because the books trace Baba’s life story from girlhood to adulthood, the series works best if read in sequence. The continuation of cultural tradition within a family, the special love that grandchildren can have for their grandparents, and the importance of holding on to one’s heritage inform all three of the books. By focusing on the two major liturgical celebrations of Christmas and Easter, as well as depicting Baba and Dido’s wedding, Mutala has incorporated the details of centuries-old tradition in a way that works naturally within the narrative. I think that books would find an audience amongst Canadian girls of Ukrainian heritage – few boys will be interested in time travel enabled by a flowered head scarf, and the story’s focus is definitely on the relationship between grandmother and granddaughter. Readers will certainly see the connections between current cultural practices (especially those involving food) which have been retained or learn about customs which would have been familiar to past generations. The three Baba’s Babushka books are a worthwhile acquisition for elementary school libraries and resource collection in schools which offer Ukrainian language programing, and for public libraries serving communities with significant Ukrainian-Canadian populations. |
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