Brave Volodymyr

August 15, 2023
A worshipful profile of Ukraine's staunch leader. Joining a flurry of recent biographies of the comedian-turned-president, this paean is light on specific detail and sometimes bends what facts it does offer to present its subject in the brightest of heroic lights--for instance, substituting the ambiguous "supplies" for weapons in a tally of foreign aid that poured into Ukraine after the Russian invasion to create the impression that said aid was entirely humanitarian. The author begins by presenting Volodymyr (without any cited evidence) as a child who "hated lies," then takes him from early years growing up in a land historically hostile to its Jewish residents to success as a performer. Next, after deciding to emulate a character in one of his own shows who was elected president and run "for real," he finds himself at the head of a country facing invasion by a much larger one, "like David fighting the giant, Goliath," and becoming a defender of freedom. Except for images of the Ukrainian flag and a few random colorful highlights, Oliyko's sketched illustrations run to drab grayscale crowds of small faces and figures. The story and even the timeline at the end cut off in February of 2022, so the content is already significantly out of date. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Appreciative (and properly so), but superficial and dated. (author's note, bibliography) (Picture-book biography. 6-9)

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September 25, 2023
Opening with a description of the Ukrainian flag, conversational text introduces young Volodymyr Zelensky (b. 1978), during whose childhood “flying Ukraine’s flag was against the law.” Elovitz Marshall next offers up remarks about living under the Soviet Union’s oversight: “Anyone who broke the rules or said the wrong thing or criticized the Soviet government could be punished.” At age 13, Zelensky, witnessing the fall of the Soviet Union, “was so happy. It was a new start for all Ukrainians.” Zelensky’s adulthood—from his early years as a charismatic television entertainer to his presidential election in 2019—plays out in the text against Vladimir Putin’s growing push for control of Ukraine. The bright hopefulness of Olikyo’s gouache-style digital illustrations amplifies the story’s resolute view that, even as war drags on, “freedom is a fragile thing./ It needs to be cherished./ It needs to be protected./ And freedom depends on the truth.” An author’s note, timeline, and bibliography conclude. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 4–8.

November 1, 2023

Gr 3-6-This glowing biography of Volodymyr Zelensky will introduce younger readers to the Ukrainian national leader, beginning with his early life, through his college days, career as an entertainer, and to his current role as president of Ukraine. In parallel, readers learn of political events in that country; for example, the election in 2004 that the author says, "was not fair" and the results "were filled with lies." Marshall also states that Ukraine applied for EU membership so "Ukrainians could live the way people in free European countries lived." Most elementary students will lack the background knowledge to understand or assess a great deal of the material discussed in the book; while its format is a picture book, it's going to be tough to find a target audience. The artwork doesn't really help either; mixed-media collages creatively insert the idea of the Ukrainian flag into the pages, but the cartoony nature and limited palette of the rest of the book is jarring. VERDICT This very topical biography of Zelensky may be a struggle for the picture book demographic.-Debbie Tanner

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