At nursery your child hears Spanish. On the playground — Spanish, maybe Catalan or Valencian. In cartoons — whatever the algorithm suggests. Ukrainian is often left with one place to live: the evening at home. A book is the easiest way to make that place bigger.
Below is a selection of Ukrainian children's books that we actually have in stock in Spain, grouped by age. Ages are a guide, not a rule: a bilingual child often understands more than they can say, so it's fine to go a step younger for independent reading and a step older for reading aloud.
0–2 years: first words, sturdy pages
At this age a book is a toy you talk about. What matters is thick cardboard, big pictures and something to open, touch or point at. Every "who is this?" is a new Ukrainian word.
- «Хто живе в зоопарку? Зазирни у віконечко» — flaps that hide animals; little hands love lifting them again and again.
- «123. Зазирни у віконечко» — first counting to ten in Ukrainian, inside a busy little town.
- «Тварини» and «Транспорт» — simple picture vocabularies, ideal for naming things together.
- «Абетка» (Malkovych, Kost Lavro) — the alphabet book many Ukrainian parents grew up with themselves, printed on thick card.
3–5 years: fairy tales, bedtime and feelings
Preschoolers are ready for short stories with a beginning and an end. This is also the age when the evening reading ritual takes root — the one your child will remember.
- «Улюблені казки для найменших» — Колосок, Сірко, Хитрий їжак and others: the classic tales, short enough for one evening.
- «Бабусині казки на добраніч» — gentle animal stories for winding down.
- «Тракторець, що захотів спати» — a rhythmic story written specifically to help children fall asleep.
- «Емоції Ґастона. Я сумую» and «Я впевнений у собі» — a little unicorn whose mane changes colour with his mood. Very useful for children who are learning to name feelings in two languages.
- «Скоро до школи. Експрес-курс» — letters, numbers and logic tasks if you want your child to start school able to read Ukrainian too.
6–8 years: big story collections and first independent reading
Children start reading on their own, but reading aloud still matters — it's where they meet words that are too hard to read yet.
- «100 казок» (vol. 2, vol. 3) — Ukrainian folk tales edited by Ivan Malkovych with illustrations by leading Ukrainian artists. A family book for years.
- «Мануель і Діді» — two inventive mice and short chapters with pictures: perfect for "one more story and then sleep".
- «Веселі історії на добраніч» by Erwin Moser — kind, funny, a little dreamy.
- Сковорода. «Байки» — Ukrainian philosophy in the form of animal fables, adapted for children by Leonid Ushkalov.
9–12 years: adventures, humour and big questions
This is the age when a child either becomes a reader or decides books are boring. The winning formula is humour, adventure and a series they want to continue.
- «Тореадори з Васюківки» by Vsevolod Nestayko — the Ukrainian children's classic that still makes kids laugh out loud. And a great book to read alongside parents who remember it.
- «Пес на ім'я Мані» and «Кіра й таємниця бублика» by Bodo Schäfer — money, goals and saving, explained through a story.
- «Гаррі Поттер і філософський камінь» in the illustrated edition with Jim Kay's art and Viktor Morozov's translation — the easiest way to get a child hooked on a long series in Ukrainian.
- «Аліса у Задзеркаллі» — the classic with illustrations by Halia Zinko.
- «Велика енциклопедія монстрів» — for those who'd rather read about gorgons and the hydra than about mice.
12–14 years: teens
- «Гаррі Поттер і в'язень Азкабану» and «Гаррі Поттер і келих вогню» — continuing the series in the A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA translation.
- «7 звичок високоефективних підлітків» by Sean Covey — about goals, self-respect and relationships, in a language teens accept from a book more easily than from parents.
For older teens, take a look at our Young Adult collection.
How to choose a Ukrainian book for a bilingual child
- Go a level lower for independent reading. If reading in Ukrainian is harder than in Spanish, a slightly "younger" book builds confidence instead of frustration.
- Let the child choose. Even from two or three options — the book they picked themselves gets read.
- Look for a series. One good book is an evening; a series is a habit.
- Read the books you loved as a child. Your excitement is contagious, and those stories carry a piece of home that no translation can.
More practical ideas in our guide on how to keep a child's Ukrainian alive abroad.
Delivery in Spain
All books in this guide are shipped from our warehouse in Spain. To mainland Spain delivery takes 2–3 working days after dispatch; shipping is free for orders from €50, otherwise standard delivery costs €4 (express €7.50). You can also pick up your order in our bookstore-café in Valencia or at a pickup point. The full range is in the Children's Books collection.
FAQ
Where can I buy Ukrainian children's books in Spain?
Online at booklya.shop with delivery across Spain, or in person at the Booklya bookstore-café in Valencia (C/ del Túria, 30).
How long does delivery take?
2–3 working days to mainland Spain after the order leaves our warehouse; to the Balearic and Canary Islands usually 3–9 working days.
My child speaks Ukrainian but doesn't read it yet. What should I start with?
Start by reading aloud from short fairy tales or picture books, and add an alphabet book or a pre-school workbook in parallel. Recognising the letters comes quickly when the stories are already familiar.