In celebration of Easter, I wanted to share this video and two picture books about the Ukrainian craft of egg painting called Pysanky:
A pysanka is a Ukrainian Easter egg, decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax-resist (batik) method. The word pysankacomes from the verb pysaty, “to write”, as the designs are not painted on, but written with beeswax.
Many other eastern European ethnic groups decorate eggs using wax resist for Easter. These include the Belarusians (пісанка, pisanka), Bulgarians (писано яйце, pisano yaytse),Croats (pisanica), Czechs (kraslice), Hungarians (hímestojás), Lithuanians (margutis), Poles (pisanka), Romanians (ouă vopsite, incondeiate or impistrite), Russians (расписанное яйцо “rаspisannoe yaitsо”), Serbs (pisanica), Slovaks (kraslica), Slovenes (pisanica, pirhi or remenke) and Sorbs (jejka pisać). from Wikipedia
If you want one of your own, I found Katya Trischuk on Etsy who sells gorgeous hand-painted ones.
I am thrilled to give away three e-copies of Daria’s new, beautiful coloring book, The Magic of Pysanky!
To enter, please leave a comment! The first three people to comment will win!
The Magic of Pysanky, A Ukrainian Egg Coloring Book by Daria A. Maramluk-Hajioannou, illustrated by Nguyen Cao Tien
Discover the wonderful world of pysanky – Ukrainian eggs – with this beautiful coloring and information book. Learn about this ancient and meaningful folk art pictured in full-color illustrations of traditional eggs, plus a coloring page version of each. 18 fun facts, including where to find the largest Ukrainian egg, make this an educational and creative coloring journey into this lovely Spring and Easter tradition.
This coloring book is suitable for all ages, even grown-ups who love to color for relaxation and mindfulness. Designs in the book range from simple and easy to intricate and complex. The full-color page shows the egg in its traditional form, and the coloring page allows your imagination to create a brand new work of art, all your own! [color book for all ages]
Reasons Why You Will LOVE This Coloring Book
- You can instantly become a folk artist and carry on a beautiful tradition that has existed for over a thousand years!
- This relaxing coloring activity allows you to disappear into the beautiful patterns and shapes that make up delightful Ukrainian egg designs.
- We’ve included 18 beautiful traditional egg designs plus a bonus Ukrainian Easter Basket and coloring page illustration.
- Use your favorite coloring pencils, markers, or gel pens to create your own masterpiece.
To learn more about Daria and hear her world music for children, check out her website, YouTube and Spotify.
Rechenka’s Eggs by Patricia Polacco
Babushka, known “far and wide” for her beautifully painted eggs, spends the winter months in preparation for the Easter Festival in Moskva, where they always win first prize.
One snowy day, Babushka is drawn from her work by the sounds of caribou. While she is outside admiring their beauty, an injured goose falls from the sky. A kindhearted woman, Babushka, brings the goose into her home to bandage the wound and care for the creature until she is well again. A “miracle,” Babushka names Rechenka.
One afternoon, when Rechenka begins to feel better, she jumps onto Babushka’s work table, overturning jars of paint and destroying all of her wonderful eggs. With her work shattered in pieces, Babushka gives up on going to the spring festival.
The next morning a remarkable surprise awaits Babushka! Rechenka had laid the “most brilliantly colored egg that she had ever seen.” And each morning until the day of the festival, Babushka finds another beautiful egg.
However, with the arrival of spring, Babushka knows it is time for her to say goodbye to Rechenka. Although saddened by their separation, Babushka sets out to the festival, only this time it is Rechenka’s unique eggs that win first prize.
A warm story of friendship, Rechenka’s Eggs concludes with one more surprise, a gift from Rechenka, awaiting Babushka’s return! In the sweet, old woman’s words, Rechenka’s “special gift” is “All a miracle!” [picture book, ages 4 and up]
P. Zonka Lays an Egg by Julie Paschkis
If you are familiar with the picture book classic The Story of Ferdinand (the Bull), this is the chicken version of that story with a pysanky twist! [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Marie’s Magic Eggs: How Marie Procai Kept the Ukrainian Art of Pysanky Alive by Sandra Neil Wallace, illustrated by Evan Turk
Marie Procai was born in Ukraine and immigrated to the United States when fighting and famine invaded her village. She missed her memories of Ukraine, especially decorating pysanky eggs that she used to do with her father. During WWI, the Russian Red Army invaded Ukraine and destroyed anything representing their culture, including pysanky eggs. Back in the United States, Marie made Pysanky eggs with the same vibrant designs that reminded her of Ukraine. She didn’t realize she was the only one who knew how to make the wax dye-resist eggs. When Ukraine became a free country again, Ukrainians yearned to learn to make pysanky, and Marie was there to teach them. Ukrainian history is seamlessly woven into Marie’s story, and Evan Turk brings this beautiful folk art to life in his colorful illustrations. [picture book, ages 7 and up]
Throw a Pysanky Party
Interested in throwing your own decorated egg party? Here’s a guide to what to get and how to do it!
Pysanky Picture Book Giveaway
I’m giving away P. Zonka Lays an Egg. Please fill out the Rafflecopter below to win!
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Beautiful! I love Julie Paschkis! Her art is amazing!
Thanks,Mia!
Hi Maria,
Those eggs are a work of art! It would be a fun project to try with older kids.
You are thinking about egg coloring! Rechenka’s Eggs is one of my favorite books. I bought it for my daughter many years ago and we still have it today. I love the intricate Russian designs. Lovely review.
H Patricia,
Thanks so much! Might be ambitious to try this kind of art for Easter eggs but would be fun to try!
What a fun tradition and such beautiful eggs! I tried to enter the giveaway but it said it hasn’t started yet 🙁 do you know when it will open?
Hi Laura,
So sorry! I just fixed my giveaway so it’s open now.
Absolutely love Patricia Polacco’s books. And those eggs are truly beautiful, Mia. I got to see some during a visit to Russia many years ago. Some are real jewels. The tradition of painting eggs for Easter is lovely and I miss it now that my kids are all in college. Thanks for the lovely post.
Hi Evelyne,
Wow, that’s wonderful you got to see real eggs. They must really be something up close! I think they should make a museum of these in Russia!
The eggs are beautiful and I would love the books for my library!
Hi Alyssa,
Thanks so much for entering! Those eggs are amazing!
That video was mesmerizing! and I love anything by Patricia Polacco. I’m having a go at the giveaway for the other one.
Thanks so much for entering Tiffiny. I thought the art behind the eggs is an amazing art form that I hope gets preserved forever.
I have one of my Grandmother Lazutin’s dyed eggs and it’s beautiful!
Hi Natasha,
How wonderful you have an Pysanka egg! Did she make it?
It is incredible how people can paint such intricate designs on an egg. They are so beautiful! Thanks for sharing your recommendations in the Kid Lit Blog Hop.
Hi Renee,
I agree; they are like miniature masterpieces!
I like to decorate egges with crayons and then after they are dyed to glue items on them
Hi Rosanne,
That sounds beautiful!
Yes she made the egg.
Wow, she’s talented Natasha! How wonderful to be able to learn from her.
We dye them and put stickers on them!!
Hi Lisa,
What a fun way to decorate eggs!
I like using dyes and paints.
Hi Leela,
What beautiful eggs you must make!
I usually just use food coloring to decorate my eggs
Hi Kathy,
Love it! Food coloring is so versatile!
We dye them and then draw on them with markers!
Hi Kaitlin,
What a great way to get patterns and detail.
We use food coloring and try to make patterns
Hi John,
Sounds lovely!
Yes they are so beautiful. We actually did a lesson on this book in the second grade class I work in and learned about the author. What a beautiful talent she has.
Hi Melissa,
What a wonderful and fun lesson for 2nd grade!
with cute and fun designs
Hi Lily,
How lovely!
I absolutely love this and I know my girls would love it too! Thank you for the sharing and for the opportunity!
When I was in grade school, a classmate’s mother, Mrs. Milkovich, used to come in and demonstrate pysanky eggs to us every year. I was always amazed at their beauty and intricacy. My family celebrated Easter with a huge egg hunt and very actively decorated eggs–the transition from being a Hunter to a Hider was a rite of passage–but I knew we would never come near the artistry of pysanky eggs and I was in awe. It is wonderful to see this tradition receiving attention; when I’ve talked about it in the years since Mrs. Milkovich’s presentations, so few people have known what I was talking about.