My Dearest Dido - The Holodomor Story is a haunting account of the innocent victims of Stalin's vicious regime. In the name of communism, Stalin and his armed units branded Ukrainians traitors and tortured, beat, starved, and shot them - often for the simple crime of eating stalks of grain. This heart-breaking record is based on the voices of survivors and told through the eyes of Dido Bohdan and his granddaughter Hanusia. The Holodomor, or Great Ukrainian Famine, was a five-year plan engineered by Stalin that starved millions of people. Stalin attempted to control Ukraine by destroying families, crushing communities, silencing media, and eradicating Ukrainian culture. Simply because they were Ukrainian.
Mutala, Marion: - "Marion Mutala has a master's degree in educational administration and taught school in the K-12 system for 30 years. She has a passion for the arts and loves to write, sing, play guitar, travel and read. Marion is the author of the national bestselling and award-winning children's books: Baba's Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Christmas; Baba's Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Easter; Baba's Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Wedding; and Kohkum's Babushka: A Magical Métis/ Ukrainian Tale. She is also the author of Grateful, The Time for Peace is Now; Ukrainian Daughter's Dance (a poetry collection); More Baba's, Please!; and My Buddy, Dido! Marion's awards for her children's books include: 1.Baba's Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Christmas Recipient of: The Anna Pidruchney Award (2010) 2. Baba's Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Easter Nominated for: Saskatchewan Book Award - Publishing in Education (2013) 3. Baba's Babushka: A Magical Ukrainian Wedding Recipient of: High Plains Book Award - Best Children's Book (2014) 4. My Buddy, Dido! Nominated for: High Plains Book Award - Best Children's Book (2019) My Dearest Dido - The Holodomor Story is Marion Mutala's eleventh book. Marion Mutala's website is: www.babasbabushka.ca"
Tkachenko, Olha: - "Ukrainian-born Olha Tkachenko is the artist behind the inside and cover art of My Dearest Dido. She was also the illustrator for two previous books by Marion Mutala: More Babas, Please! and My Buddy, Dido! Since 2008, Olha has worked as a freelance children's illustrator and has created many children's books in the USA, Canada, and Russia. In 2014, Olha and her family moved to Canada, where she worked at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada in Saskatchewan and led a private art school. Her work has been exhibited in Ukraine, France, and Canada. Olha works with various media such as oil, soft pastel, watercolors, and batiks. Her hot batik works combine traditional Ukrainian technique of Pysankas (painted Easter Eggs) and modern concepts. Reviewers have stated that Tkachenko adds a fantastical element to the stories she illustrates with her watercolour inspired illustrations. SaskBook reviewers claim her "simplicity and splashes of colour are both childlike and detailed, an absolute necessity if you want to hold your reader's attention". Olha says, "I love tales where a line between reality and imagination is almost erased, like in childhood. If we ask children about miracles, they might deny this idea, but even the desire to look smart and adult would not stop a child from peering into the grass near the path to see a gnome or a fairy. Likewise, I love peering into reality looking for a mystery. This is why I'd call my style realistic fantasy. My favourite medium - coloured pencils - expresses my feelings in the best way. My drawings are full of colours and air. They breathe and the white light leaks out through the net of small pencil strokes just as grace is tangible through the ordinary things in our habitual, material world." Find out more about her work at: https: //www.olyaillustrations.com or www.olya-t.art"
