23 April 2022 • The Week Junior
People
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THEY SAID IT!
A
s she sat in Kyiv, Ukraine, writing
an introduction for her book Maya
and Her Friends, author Larysa
Denysenko could hear missile
attacks outside. “I am
writing this from the
corridor where we are
hiding with my mother,
who survived World War II
as a child, and my dog,
because over the Kyiv sky:
another missile threat,”
Denysenko wrote.
Maya and Her Friends
was first published in 2017
in Ukraine. It’s the story
of a schoolgirl called Maya and her
16 classmates, who all come from
different backgrounds and types of
families. Denysenko told The Week
Junior she wrote a story that “teaches
respect for different cultures, for
different people, for different families”.Denysenko used what she saw around
her as inspiration for her characters,
and she wanted to highlight long-
standing disagreements between
Ukraine and Russia.
Denysenko wrote a
new introduction because
the conflict in Ukraine
has caused “the creation
of another type of family:
those separated by war”.
She wanted to show
how important it is
for every child to feel
supported by an adult
they can trust.
Maya and Her Friends is out now in
the UK, and all profits are going to help
Ukrainian children who are affected
by the conflict. Denysenko told The
Guardian newspaper, “The language of
books can help people to empathise,
to fight for other people’s lives.”Writer celebrates
different families
A
woman with dwarfism – a condition that restricts
a person’s growth – is visiting schools to educate
young people about the condition. Danielle Webb
says that every day she prepares herself to be
laughed at, called names, stared at or asked for
photographs. Webb hopes she can create change by
showing young people that it’s ok to be different,
which is the message of her book Mummy, There’s a
New Girl. After visiting Maindee Primary School in
Newport, Wales, Webb told the BBC, “I have no doubt
that every child in that room will grow up accepting
and understanding differences.”The honest footballer
F
ootballer Aled Slingerland, 12, has been praised
for letting a referee know about his own mistake.
Slingerland’s honesty stopped his team, Denbigh
Town FC under-12s, from scoring a goal. In a match
against Kinmel Bay, Slingerland accidentally put the
ball out of play while passing it to the attacker, who
scored. Neither the referee nor his assistant saw the
mistake, but Slingerland told the referee at once.
Slingerland was then awarded a £25 voucher by the
Rhyl and District Junior Football League, in north
Wales. His mother said, “I am so proud of him for
what he stands up for and believes in.”Larysa
DenysenkoAled
SlingerlandLarysa Denysenko discusses diversity in her book.
MAN
Y^TALE
NTS^As^ well
as^ bein
g^ an^ author,^
Larysa
Denyse
nko^ is^
a^lawyer
and^ a^ TV^
present
er.Danielle
Webb“It’s ok to
wear your
heart on
your sleeve.
That doesn’t
make you
weak, it
makes you
stronger.”
Award-winning actor
and musician Little Simz
explains why it’s good to
show your emotions.Spreading her message