Språk: engelska

Abstract:

War Stories in the Classroom: Children Reading and Narrating the War in Ukraine

How do children make sense of war when they are both its witnesses and its storytellers? Since 2014, over fifty Ukrainian children’s books about war have been published across genres—from picturebooks and graphic novels to memoirs and fantasy tales—many authored or co-created by children themselves. These young readers are not only learning about war; they are living through it and transforming their experiences into stories of resilience and hope.

This talk explores how Ukrainian children’s literature and classroom writing projects have become powerful tools for emotional expression and empowerment. Drawing on my research in children’s lietrature1 and creative writing workshops conducted with schools in Lviv, Lutsk, and Khmelnytskyy, I show how reading and storytelling help children process trauma, reclaim agency, and imagine futures beyond war. Activities such as creative writing, group map-making and visual storytelling enable children to express themselves safely through creativity.

One case study comes from a workshop in Lutsk interrupted by a missile attack: as air raid sirens sounded, children continued their stories in a basement shelter and recorded themselves singing Chervona Kalyna, a Ukrainian patriotic song. Their voices capture the essence of this project—how literature and creativity can support children even in moments of danger.

By bringing these stories to light, the talk invites reflection on the role of storytelling as resistance, healing, and nation-building. It also considers how similar creative approaches might support displaced children and foster empathy in classrooms far beyond Ukraine.

Dr Aliona Yarova

Aliona Yarova is a researcher at the Department of Education and Society, Malmö University, Sweden. She holds an MA in English from Lviv National University, an MPhil in Education from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD from Malmö University. Her doctoral dissertation, “Narrating Humanity: Children’s Literature and Global Citizenship Education” (2021), examines how children’s literature can foster empathy, human rights awareness, and environmental responsibility.

Aliona’s current research focuses on Ukrainian children’s war literature and the role of creative writing in helping children process trauma and imagine futures beyond war. Her recent publications include “Memories of the Future: Ukrainian Children’s Literature about War” (Routledge, 2025) and “War Stories in the Inclusive Classroom: Children Reading and Narrating the War in Ukraine” (Routledge, 2026). Through her research, Aliona explores how storytelling and visual narratives can become powerful tools of resilience, emotional expression, and inclusive education in times of war.

Beyond academia, she collaborates with teachers, artists, and librarians to bring children’s voices into public spaces through exhibitions and creative workshops. Her recent exhibition “Memories of the Future” (Malmö University Library, 2024–2025) showcased children’s visual narratives of the war in Ukraine.

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