The International Board on Books for Children and Young People (IBBY) has published the 2026 Honor List. This year, three representatives of Ukraine were included in the catalog: writer Dara Korniy, illustrator Oleksandr Shatokhin, and translator Bozhena Antonyak.
This was reported in the IBBY Honour List 2026.
In the “Authors” category, Dara Korniy was included in the list with the book “Why the Fern Blooms”. This is a fantasy story about a boy who meets a brownie and discovers the magical world of Ukrainian folklore.
In the “Illustrators” category, Ukraine is represented by Oleksandr Shatokhin with the book “Narwhals Don’t Cry”. The publication tells the story of a little narwhal who, with his mother’s support, learns to overcome his fear of being different and find confidence.
In the “Translators” category, Bozena Antoniak was awarded for her translation of the book “Name Days” by Polish writer Joanna Jagiello (published by “Urbino”). This text describes the fragile world of teenagers, their need to be heard, and tells about schoolchildren who were excluded from the class community.
IBBY is a non-profit organization founded in Switzerland in 1953 to promote children’s books. The organization has official status in UNESCO and UNICEF. It is on the initiative of IBBY that the world has celebrated International Children’s Book Day since 1967.
