The War in Ukraine, Part One: A Yellow Butterfly Interview with Oleksandr Shatokhin

On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in an escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War that started in 2014. We now find ourselves at the two-year anniversary of that war, and so for the next two days I’ll be featuring posts that discuss that war and the children’s books that have come out of it.

When Yellow Butterfly by Oleksandr Shatokhin was first released it received multiple starred reviews and raves from journals, like Kirkus calling it, “Provocative, powerful, breathtakingly beautiful,” and PW saying it was an, “unflinching response to current events from the perspective of a single child.”

I also included the book in my 31 Days, 31 Lists round-up of Wordless Books of 2023. In my review I wrote:

“Much like the rise of picture books about refugees that came out in the wake of Syria’s crisis, so too have Ukrainian picture books proliferated in the last year or two due to the Russian invasion. Finding a way to appeal to notoriously apathetic American consumers and their children is a challenge for any publisher, so perhaps wordless books really are the smartest method of conveying information about war. Oleksandr Shatokhin, a Ukrainian artist who is, according to this biography on the back bookflap, still living and working in Ukraine, does something infinitely clever with this title. It’s really all about the imagery. Unexploded bombs. Barbed wire. And, of course, the yellow butterfly. The book begins in black and white, which means that when the butterflies swarm upon the lines of barbed wire against the blue sky, the final effect bears resemblance to nothing so much as the Ukrainian flag (clever). Red Comet Press made sure to include information at the end on how to share a wordless book, as well as tips for guiding a conversation about the war. A clever way to bring a hard subject to the youngest of readers.”

Two years into the war, I spoke with author/illustrator Shatokhin about the book’s creation, reception at home and abroad, and more:

Betsy Bird: Oleksandr! Welcome and thank you so much for answering my questions. Yellow Butterfly has, in many ways, become the quintessential picture book during this time of the invasion of Ukraine. I never knew how you came up with the book, though. What inspired you to create it in the first place?

Oleksandr Shatokhin: It all started with a drawing, which later became one of the book’s illustrations. It’s an image of a girl behind the barbed wire whose eyes we cannot see. It was a drawing, but I did not have an idea it would become a book about the war. When the full-scale war broke, and I all the horrible crimes committed by the Russians with my own eyes, I felt the urge to draw a wordless book about war, hope, faith, and ultimately light and victory. That’s when the drawing of the girl came in handy—I just added symbolic butterflies, and the story started plotting itself.

BB: Wordless books have a universal quality to them, capable of reaching across different languages. When you made this book without words, did you have in mind the fact that it could reach more people that way?

OS: No, I didn’t think about that. I am into wordless books and like the format. It’s the kind of format that comes both a challenge and a real adventure for the illustrator. When I got an idea for the book, I already knew it would be wordless—not for the sake of reaching as many people as possible, but to emphasize the topic of war, that would resonate even without words, where the viewer, the reader focuses on the emotional component of the story and reflects on it. Only when other countries started publishing the book, did I realize the advantage of its wordlessness. It’s a very strong format that is without borders and speaks everywhere.

BB: What are some of the responses you’ve received from people outside of Ukraine since the book’s publication? I know there are editions in Japan, Canada, and several other countries now.

OS: Honestly, I have no idea how readers from other countries react to the book. I hope it will help draw attention to what is happening in my country and will be correctly understood. I would love that.

BB: How have people in Ukraine felt about the book? Have you received any responses from there as well?

OS: Such topics as war in picture books have always been treated with caution, especially when it’s a war of here and now. Children live in it, feel it, and see it. But I believe we should not distance ourselves from such important topics. On the contrary, we must discuss and feel them. I wanted to draw a book about the hope and light that will surely come, regardless of the darkness and fear we all experience together. I know teachers, psychologists, and librarians are using my book for classes with children, and they perceive it with understanding and warmth. I am grateful for that.

BB: What else have you been working on? Are there any more picture books in your future?

OS: I continue drawing thanks to our soldiers who protect us and with the support of our friends from around the world. I am also interested in more wordless books and hope to continue to move in that direction. I have just finished drawing my new picture book and am already thinking about a new one. It’s a strange feeling. In times of war, something inside me works in a completely new way, and I try to live with this experience and express it in my new books.

Thanks to Oleksandr for answering my questions today. And I was told by his publisher that he has a new book coming out in September 2024 that, “shows the lighter side of his creativity.” It’s called Little Hare Finds a Gift and is a Christmas story about gifts and giving, so be sure to look for it then.

Many thanks to Angus Killick and the team at Red Comet Press for helping to make this interview a reality today. You can find Yellow Butterfly on bookstore and library shelves wherever the finest of books are sold.

Filed under: Interviews