The S. T. Aksakov Children’s Library in Ulyanovsk hosted the presentation of the collection “Conto de Fadas / Tales from across the Ocean.” This illustrated edition brings together folk tales from Russia and Brazil, serving as a cultural bridge between the two countries. The event attracted around 100 attendees, including children – the primary audience for the project.
“Russia and Brazil are far from each other; they are separated by the Atlantic Ocean, and we don’t know much about each other. Together with our young colleagues from Brazil, we’ve created these wonderful books written in Russian and Portuguese so that the children from Brazil could learn about the rich culture of Russia, and Russian children could learn more about such a colourful and interesting country like Brazil,” said Kira Ivanova, Head of the project and Coordinator of the Russia–BRICS Project Office for International Youth Cooperation.
The collection features ten fairy tales – five from each country. Among the Russian tales are “Kolobok,” “Teremok,” “Morozko,” “Masha and the Bear,” and “Axe Porridge.” The Brazilian tales introduce readers to local myths and legends with stories about the animal defender Caipora, the mermaid Iara, the prankster Saci Perere, the fire snake Boitata, and the forest spirit Curupira.
During the presentation, schoolchildren learnt new facts about Brazil, participated in quizzes, learnt several Portuguese words, and even performed a Brazilian tale about Curupira in roles. One student, Evelina Galiullova, shared her impressions of the event. She noted that Brazilian tales focus more on nature and its protection, while Russian tales emphasise human virtues.
The collection has a print run of 200 copies. Of these, 15 were donated to the S. T. Aksakov Library, while the remaining books will be distributed to children’s libraries in Russia and Brazil or given as gifts to participants in youth events under the BRICS initiative.
“Conto de Fadas / Tales from across the Ocean” is a joint project of the Global Youth Parliament of Brazil and the Russia–BRICS Project Office for International Youth Cooperation.
Photo: Presentation of the collection “Conto de Fadas / Tales from across the Ocean”
