Friday Find: HannaRivka

The other night I was possessed with the idea of finding an old book from my childhood. I guess it was triggered by the "Vinni-Pukh" cartoons JV had stumbled across.

In my library as a kid, I'd had a handful of vintage Soviet publications (in English) that I can only assume were gifts from my Baba and Dede—they were a bit too new to be among the hand-me-down books I had from my dad (a college student wouldn't have much need for children's books). Only one remains, now, and in excellent condition: The Little Clay Hut.

I'm glad I still have this one, at least, because the illustrations by Evgeny Rachev are great:

This is the only HQ scan I could find, unfortunately.

I had at least two others. The one I remembered the most distinctly has now been lost to time and room-cleanings—it was a half-inch thick paperback, with a picture of a girl with a lamb on the green cover, titled something like Mary Had a Little Lamb. I've always wondered what happened to it since I think it was a bilingual book and would have been helpful while I studied Russian. Now I just want to find a copy of it for nostalgia reasons.

I didn't find that one last night, but I did find the other book I'd owned that I'd totally forgotten about: Teryosha.

And I found it in a treasure trove of Russian and Soviet children's books: Finland-based HannaRivka, owned by Svetlana Skryabina. I scoured her entire selection of Russian children's books, but my mystery green book wasn't there. Nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised to find Teryosha! I ordered it straight away.

The others seem to be in Russian, so they're only of interest to book collectors or language enthusiasts. I studied Russian for three semesters in college but almost nothing remains; I hope to take a few courses at Komvux once I finish my Swedish classes. Maybe then I can order and enjoy some of these other gorgeous books at HannaRivka!

Nine Golden Sons vintage Russian book from HannaRivka  on Etsy

Selected Poems for Children vintage Russian book from HannaRivka on Etsy

The Frog Princess vintage Russian book from HannaRivka on Etsy

Are there any beloved items from your childhood you just can't find anymore? Or have you ever found a replacement for something you thought was irreplaceable?