Halyna Budilova arrived in Ireland in April 2022 with her two young sons. At that time, the boys were 2 and 5 years old. Her husband remained in Ukraine, initially volunteering in Kyiv and later joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine, currently defending the country on the Kurakhiv front. After a brief stop in Ternopil, she found herself in a small Irish town—at the invitation of an old friend. She planned to stay for three weeks. But the war didn’t end, and life had to continue.
The adaptation of women who fled the war but found themselves with nothing and children in foreign countries is not easy. Each must find her own resources to move forward. For Halyna, this resource is writing.
Her first books were created for her own children—small stories with simple text, QR codes for audio, and exercises. The model was born out of necessity: the children weren’t attending school, and their mother—a translator and writer—figured out how to teach them to read in Ukrainian. Printed on Amazon and, due to budget constraints, illustrated with the help of artificial intelligence, the books quickly found their young readers. However, the author was not thrilled about using artificial intelligence because it steals work from creative people. At that time, it was the only solution. But the writer decided to find funding for her projects at all costs and provide work to real talented people, not robots. And so, step by step, her books appeared in libraries across five Irish counties. But her goal is all 26.
How a Publishing House Was Born from Nothing
“When I have a problem—I write a book,” says Halyna. But now the writer not only writes but also needs to monetize it. So layout, texts, QR codes, uploading to Amazon—she did everything herself with her small team. And also the search for ideas, partners, funding, paperwork… That’s how the small but vibrant publishing house Little Beetle Press was born.
Halyna currently doesn’t work with large print runs—it’s expensive and inconvenient. She mostly prints on demand, works directly with libraries, creates projects with other authors, and also takes on full production if the client pays for the team’s work.
“We create interesting and useful content for children. For each specific project, I gather a team, involving illustrators, editors, translators, musicians, technical specialists, and so on. Sometimes an author comes with just an idea,” she explains. The publishing house supports creative people, especially from Ukraine, who have lost the opportunity to work in their profession.
In parallel, the writer is looking for new modern opportunities—for example, adapting books for children with dyslexia, developing apps and interactive materials for books, printing in Braille, or creating corporate books for specialists and brands.
Books That Speak About War, Adaptation, and Ecology
A separate series is therapeutic. Books based on real stories, such as “Sunflower Lion” about the war in Ukraine, which inspired other authors to create again, or “Sips, the Magic Pony,” based on letters from an Irishman to his niece. The book turned into a therapeutic story and even helped the volunteer project Little Steps for Ukraine. Or “Magical Summer in Tir na nOg”—Halyna’s autobiographical story about moving to Ireland, the magic of friendship, and adaptation. These books have interactive elements, such as audio, games, and photographs from real places, to remind children and parents that droplets of joy and magic can be found wherever you are.
There is also a series on environmental protection—”Eco-Tales of Giants” about Giants, which was well-received by Irish schools and became the basis for workshops all over Ireland. Halyna also conducts a workshop on creating your own game based on her new book “A Magical Summer in Tir na nOg,” which was released for St. Patrick’s Day. Halyna collaborates with Poetry Ireland, an organization that can cover the cost of conducting such a workshop in any school.
There are also collaborations, such as “Now My Life Is New”—a project with an Australian author who has experienced emigration. The publication is even available in Braille—the publishing house is actively working on inclusivity.
There are also lullabies—Ukrainian-English musical books that can be listened to. “Білченятко хоче спатки/Sleepytime, My Little Squirrel” was published together with the Belgian project Children’s Books for U and is available in Dutch-Ukrainian and English-Ukrainian versions—it’s one of their bestsellers on Amazon, as it’s perfect for bilingual families from the moment a child is born.
Publishing House as a Social Initiative
All projects have a social component: helping the Armed Forces of Ukraine, free distribution of e-books, inclusion, support for authors and creative people.
“We don’t just sell. We create meaningful products. I want a book to be therapy, a toy, a resource,” says Halyna.
Future Plans
In the near future—creating an interactive app with children’s meditations, educational materials, coloring pages, and audio fairy tales. Also, continuing the “Ukrainian Readers” series and a new comic series about Princess Honey Heart, which is intended to be a bridge to reading for teenagers. Halyna dreams of finding funding to implement these ideas and is convinced that a book can compete with gadgets if it contains magic, usefulness, and love.
Creativity as Support in a New Life
The publishing house is a team of about 10 people, mostly Ukrainians, who work remotely. These are dozens of authors, illustrators, editors, and translators with whom she creates book projects: from picture books for the youngest and comics for teenagers to exclusive editions for major brands. And Halyna’s children can certainly be added to her team. After all, they accompany her at exhibitions, fairs, and workshops, suggest new ideas, and are the main appreciators and marketers of Little Beetle Press creations.
Small Publishing House—Big idea
“Business is also a kind of creative process. But combining single parenting with building a business from scratch in a new country is truly difficult. However, feedback from readers—both Ukrainians and Irish—inspires me not to give up and to conquer new heights,” says Halyna.
She creates books that help children speak, read, feel, and not lose their language. She helps creative people find work, and provides parents with tools for raising children and competing with gadgets.
You can write to Halina here: [email protected]