April 15, 2022 marked 50 days of war in Ukraine. In that time, people around the globe have turned their attention and support to the citizens of Ukraine and Ukrainian populations elsewhere in the world.

Today we’d like to feature the work of two Ukrainian illustrators of Lerner and Kar-Ben Publishing books: Sofia Moore and Yevgenia Nayberg. Learn about each illustrator below and see where you can view more of their work.

Sofia Moore is a Ukrainian-American artist and illustrator based in Las Vegas, Nevada. She grew up reading folk tale stories in her grandmother’s house and drawing princesses on the back of textbooks. Now she is on the mission to create her own picture books filled with colorful characters and imaginary situations. She loves painting traditionally and layers textures both on paper and digitally, her ideas come from a lot of sketchbook drawings and making up stories every day.

Sofia illustrated the book Hannah G. Solomon Dared to Make a Difference from Kar-Ben Publishing in Fall 2021, about the founder of the National Council of Jewish Women—the first organization to unite Jewish women around the country. She is also illustrating another forthcoming book from Kar-Ben, releasing in 2023.

Learn more about Sofia’s work here. You can also follow her on Instagram at @sofiamoore_illustration.

Yevgenia Nayberg is an award-winning illustrator, painter and stage designer. A native of Kyiv, Ukraine, she graduated from The National School of Arts. Her paintings have been featured in exhibitions in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles and Moscow. She has designed sets and costumes for over 40 theatrical productions. Her children’s books include The Wren and the Sparrow by U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis. She lives in New York City. 

Yevgenia has illustrated several Kar-Ben books, including A Bear for Bimi, Drop by Drop: A Story of Rabbi Akiva, and The Wren and the Sparrow. In addition, she is also the illustrator of several books published by Lerner Publisher Services publisher Creston Books, including Martin & Anne: The Kindred Spirits of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Anne Frank.

Visit Yevgenia’s website here, follow her on Instagram at @znayberg, or find her on Twitter here.