The book Fairy Tales of the CIS Peoples, published by Mastatskaya Litaratura, was presented during the 33rd Minsk International Book Fair, BelTA has learned.
According to the publishing house’s director Ales Badak, the book includes four fairy tales from each of ten countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus.
“Fairy tales accompany us throughout our lives. First we get to know them thanks to our mothers and grandmothers, and later we read them to our own children and grandchildren,” Ales Badak noted.Illustrator Veronika Klimashevich explained that the book’s cover features a starry sky to help readers immerse themselves in a magical world, with a moon entwined by various plants at the center. It also depicts a blue bird: a symbol of happiness and magic found in many cultures’ folklore. The book consists of ten sections, each decorated with a unique botanical ornament.
“Opening the book to any page, you can see the title of the tale at the top and the nation it belongs to. I wanted to show not only the plots of the stories but also the diversity of different cultures, so every detail and color combination is intentional. Each illustration contains hidden elements, special decorative motifs, interior objects, and the characters wear costumes with national features,” the illustrator said.She is confident that the book will appeal not only to children but also to anyone interested in the stories of different peoples.
