A story from Ukraine

 My great-grandfather Abram came from Ukraine - from Chernigov in the north, which we now know better as Chernihiv, bombed mercilessly this week by the Russians. 

Thinking about this blog post I wondered if I knew any children's books from Ukraine. It turned out that I did -  The Mitten -  a beautiful  picture book that I often read to my children. In it the American author Jan Brett  retells an old Ukrainian folk tale -  a boy loses his mitten in the forest, and one by one different animals crawl inside to keep warm. Each one is bigger than the last, and each one asks permission before crawling into the mitten. Eventually the huge bear joins the other animals, the mitten reaches its limits and all the animals tumble out into the cold snow. In the picture book the boy takes the mitten home to his grandmother, who marvels at its new enlarged shape. 

As a morality tale, it's a warning about the over use of a single resource. Or it's a warning about not losing the thing that's been made to keep you warm.

 Or possibly it's a story about a small, cosy place where different species live in peace until a big bear (Russia?) blunders in. 

 My great grandfather Abram did not stay in Chernigov. We think he left because he did not want to be conscripted into the Russian army. He came to England, and then he went to Argentina to work on the railway. Then he came back to England where he had his own metal works. It still exists, tucked behind Angel station, although now it's a club and a party venue. He was an immigrant who worked hard and thrived. He bought a big house in Surrey. My mother still remembers its gardens, and how he made jam from the fruit that grew there. 

 
I wonder if my great-great grandmother told him the story of the mitten when he was growing up in Chernihiv?