Sonja's First Camp

Adriadna Stebelsky is a Ukrainian-Canadian art and literary critic in
Toronto.

This interesting and educational book, a bilingual English and Ukrainian
publication, begins with the protagonist, Sonja, packing for camp in her
bedroom and concludes with her return home to her much-missed pet cat,
Ginger. The text’s lively dialogue reveals the contrasting characters
of Sonja and her newfound friend, Natalie. The relationship between the
children is friendly and cooperative. Both the parents and the camp
counselor surround the children with love and affection. The reader also
learns about the ancient Ukrainian festival of Kupalo. The author
describes this celebration in simple terms, omitting ethnographic
details that would be incomprehensible to children. Children love
reading about magic and adventure, and this story will satisfy their
interest on both counts.

The gentle, sunny mood of the text is reflected in the illustrations.
The color scheme is dominated by soft greens and pinks. The style could
be described as simplified realism. Each perfectly balanced composition
depicts a separate adventure and is framed in a garland of flowers
highlighted with butterflies and other insects. The illustrator did
extensive research on plants and insects of southern Ontario, so that
the young reader has plenty to see and learn.

Although the publisher had language editors and consultants for both
texts, some details in the Ukrainian text were overlooked. For instance,
the Ukrainian word for “brown” used to describe the color of
Natalie’s eyes should be “kari,” not “brunatni,” because often
there are several words for one color in Ukrainian and which word is
used depends on the object being described.

Sonja’s First Camp resonates with a gentleness and warmth found in
the best family relationships. Highly recommended.