Children's magazines. The first children’s magazine published in Ukraine was Lastivka in 1869, a weekly supplement to the journal Uchytel’ (1869–74), edited by M. Klemertovych. In 1875, starting with the 15th issue, Lastivka became an independent biweekly and was published until 1881. In 1881–3 Isydor Trembytsky published the semimonthly Priiatel’ ditei in Kolomyia. At the same time Novost' was published in Lviv by O. Shcherban (edited by Hryhorii Kupchanko); one time it issued a supplement also called Priiatel' ditei. All these journals of Russophile sympathies served the readership in Galicia for a period of over 10 years but failed to become firmly rooted.

The children’s magazine Dzvinok (1890–1914) in Lviv marked a turning point and had a lasting influence on the development of children’s periodicals. It was professionally edited in Galicia and included among its contributors writers from central and eastern Ukraine. It fulfilled its purpose well. A monthly supplement to Misionar, Malyi misionarchyk, was published and edited by the Basilian monastic order in Zhovkva in 1903–14. It gave special attention to religious matters.

The only children’s magazine in central and eastern Ukraine before the First World War was a monthly supplement to the paper Ridnyi krai, the children’s magazine Moloda Ukraïna, published and edited by Olena Pchilka in Kyiv in 1908–14. During Ukraine’s struggle for independence (1917–20) a literary, illustrated, semimonthly, Voloshky, came out in Kyiv from October 1917 to January 1918 under the editorship of Natalia Romanovych-Tkachenko and with the support of Dmytro Antonovych and Kateryna Antonovych. In Kamianets-Podilskyi Sofiia Rusova edited the short-lived Ranok (1919). It was illustrated by Petro Kholodny and others.

After the First World War the monthly Svit dytyny began to appear in Lviv. It was published and edited by Mykhailo Taranko and played an important educative role in Western Ukraine and in the diaspora. The religious and national traditions of Malyi misionarchyk were assumed in 1921–39 by Nash pryiatel’, which was published by the Marian Youth Society in Lviv and edited by the Basilian Fathers. In 1931–9 the Ukrainska Presa publishers, owned by Ivan Tyktor, published Dzvinochok, a mass monthly aimed especially at peasant children. For a brief period children's magazines of a nationalist orientation appeared: the illustrated monthlies Veselka, published in 1933 by Hryhorii Hanuliak; Iuni druzi, published by Ukrainska Rekliama publishers and edited by Petro Polishchuk in 1933–4; Orlenia, published by Desheva Knyzhka publishers; and Mali druzi (1937–8), edited by Bohdan Hoshovsky, which after a two-year interruption was published by the Ukrainske Vydavnytstvo (Cracow) published in Cracow (1940–2) and Lviv (1942–4).

The Polish authorities prohibited the distribution of Galician children's magazines in Volhynia, Podlachia, and Polisia. This prompted the Orthodox metropolitanate in Warsaw to publish the magazine Dytyna in 1936–8 for these regions. Its editor was Ivan Korovytsky. In Rivne the Ukrainska Shkola educational society published Sonechko (1936–9). The magazines published in Volhynia during the Second World War included Shkoliaryk, edited by Avenir Kolomyiets, which appeared in Dubno (1941–2), and Orlenia, issued in Rivne (1942–3). The children’s press in Ukrainian territories under Polish rule was very important in instilling a national consciousness in Ukrainian children (something that the Polonized schools could not do).

In Chernivtsi, the Ruska Besida in Bukovyna published a monthly book series, Biblioteka dlia Molodezhy (Library for Youth, 1885–95), and Lastivka (1894–6). The Ukrainska Shkola society published Ukraïns’ka lastivka (1933–9).

In Uzhhorod, Transcarpathia, the Basilian monastic order published a monthly bulletin, Svitlo (Uzhhorod) (1913–14 and 1916). Later Vinochok dlia podkarpats'kykh ditochok (1920–4) and Dzvinochok came out in Uzhhorod; both were edited by Ivan Pankevych. Nash ridnyi krai, published in Tiachiv by Oleksander Markush in 1922–39, was aimed at older children. Pchilka, a children’s journal, was published and edited by Pavlo Kukuruza in Uzhhorod in 1923–32.

In Soviet Ukraine children's magazines served Communist upbringing. The Central Bureau of the Communist Children’s Movement published the following magazines: for younger children, the monthlies Zhovtenia (Kyiv, 1928–41) and Tuk-tuk (Kharkiv 1929–35); for older children, Chervoni kvity (Kharkiv, 1923–31), which in 1931 was amalgamated with Bil'shovycheniata (1924–31), a magazine for peasant children, and in 1937 with the magazine Vesela bryhada (1931–7), forming a new magazine, Pioneriia (1931–41). This last magazine was revived in 1950 and was published in Kyiv in Ukrainian and in Russian. In 1922 the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of Ukraine and the People's Commissariat of Education of the Ukrainian SSR began publishing Iunyi spartak for members of the Pioneer Organization of Ukraine and schoolchildren. From 1923 it appeared in Russian under the title Iunyi leninets and briefly (1938–41) in Ukrainian under the title Iunyi pioner. In 1923 Na zminu began to appear in Kharkiv; in 1943 it was renamed Zirka.

Barvinok, an illustrated monthly for younger schoolchildren, was published in Kyiv in Ukrainian from 1945 and in Russian from 1950. A magazine for preschool children, Maliatko, appeared from 1960. Both magazines were published by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of Ukraine. Magazines in specialized areas—art, technology, science, etc—were published only in Russian for all of the USSR.

The Ukrainians of Bačka, Yugoslavia, published the magazine Nasha zahradka (Ruski Krstur, 1937–40), edited by Mykhailo Kovach. After 1945 Pionerska zahradka appeared. From 1956 Svitanok (entitled Dytiache slovo up to 1958)—a biweekly supplement for schoolchildren in the paper Nashe slovo—has appeared in Warsaw. In Prešov the biweekly Veselka has appeared since the 1950s.

Ukrainian émigrés published briefly in the displaced persons camp in Regensburg, Germany, in 1945 Shkoliar and Shkoliaryk, two children’s journals edited by Leonid Poltava. In Munich Vasyl Orenchuk published Vovcheniata (1946), and in Neckarsulm L. Haievska published Sonechko (1947). Bohdan Hoshovsky issued Mali druzi in Augsburg (1948) and Iuni druzi in Munich (1947–8). In 1947 the almanac Nashym ditiam appeared in Munich. The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain published the magazine Iuni druzi (1956–74).

Before the Second World War children's magazines in Canada and the United States of America were not successful. Several magazines appeared briefly in Winnipeg: in 1918 Dzvinochok; in 1924 Ditochyi svit, published by the Canadian-Ukrainian Publishing Association; in 1927–30 Promin’ (Winnipeg), published by Stepan Doroshchuk; and in 1931 Iahidka, published by M. Borysyk. After the Second World War the following children's magazines appeared in Canada: Mii pryiatel’ (1949–66), published by the Central Office of Ukrainian Catholics in Canada in Winnipeg and edited by Rev S. Izhyk; the monthly Soniashnyk (1956–61), published by Petro Volyniak in Toronto; a children’s page in the magazine Zhinochyi svit entitled ‘Dytiachyi svit’ and in Ukraïns’kyi holos entitled ‘Viddil dlia molodi,’ both published in Winnipeg.

In the United States of America the first children’s magazine was the illustrated quarterly Zirka, which began to appear in 1913 in New Britain, Connecticut, as a supplement to Dushpastyr and was edited by Rev M. Zalitach. The Ukrainian National Association published Tsvitka in Jersey City in 1914–17. After this, Ukrainians in the United States subscribed to children's magazines published in Galicia. Only in 1954 did the Ukrainian National Association resume publication of children's literature, first as a supplement to the daily Svoboda (1954–5), and from 1956 as a separate magazine, the monthly Veselka, , which was edited by Bohdan Hoshovsky, Roman Zavadovych, and Volodymyr Barahura. After 1953 the Plast Ukrainian Youth Association published Hotuis’, a magazine for its youngest members, in New York. From 1951 the women’s journal Nashe zhyttia/Our Life in Philadelphia had a permanent children’s page entitled ‘Nashym maliatam’ (For Our Little Ones).

Bohdan Hoshovsky

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 1 (1984).]