Illustration in Ukrainian Children’s Books: National Tradition and European Visual Practices

Abstract

The relevance of the study is determined by the increasing role of visual culture in the context of digitalization and the growing influence of visual media on children’s perception, imagination, and identity formation. In contemporary humanities, there is a clear need to reconsider illustration not merely as a decorative supplement but as a meaningful cultural phenomenon within children’s literature. The research problem lies in the insufficient systematization of children’s book illustration as a carrier of national cultural codes, particularly within Ukrainian book graphics. Existing studies often address illustration fragmentarily, without integrating historical, semiotic, cultural, and comparative perspectives into a unified analytical framework. The novelty of the study consists in the interdisciplinary conceptualization of illustration in Ukrainian children’s books as an independent artistic and communicative system. The study introduces a comparative model that reveals the interaction between national traditions and European visual practices while emphasizing the cultural specificity of Ukrainian illustration. The subject of the study is the artistic, stylistic, semiotic, and cultural features of illustration in Ukrainian children’s books in relation to European visual trends. The object of the study is illustration in children’s books as a component of book graphics and visual communication. The study aims to identify and systematize the artistic, stylistic, and cultural principles of illustration as a form of national visual code. The methodological framework includes analytical, comparative, historical-chronological, systemic, art-historical, semiotic, and cultural approaches. The study draws upon the scholarly works of V. Zaitseva, A. Buihasheva, H. Novik, P. Zemtsova, P. Nodelman, M. Nikolajeva, and other researchers in the fields of book studies, illustration theory, and visual culture. The study examines the historical foundations of Ukrainian book graphics, analyzes contemporary illustrative practices, and compares Ukrainian and European approaches to children’s book illustration. Special attention is given to stylistic diversity, the interaction of traditional and digital techniques, age-related design principles, and the role of illustration in visual communication. The results demonstrate that contemporary Ukrainian illustration integrates national artistic traditions with innovative visual strategies, preserving the high cultural and aesthetic value of the children’s book. The authors conclude that illustration functions as a significant factor in shaping children’s visual perception and national identity, positioning Ukrainian book graphics as an independent and culturally meaningful phenomenon within the European and global artistic context.