Dear Diana: Travel With Me To Ukraine

About the Book

Ukraine is located south of the continent of Europe and east of the United States of America. It is to the north of Africa. The Ukraine is located south of Russia and was at one time part of the Soviet Republic known as the U.S.S.R. (United Soviet Socialist Republic.) They gained their independence in 1991. Ukraine still has close ties to Russia as well as those European nations that form its borders. I first traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, several years ago and I had in my mind the image of a cold, austere city filled with buildings left over from those days when it was a U.S.S.R. stronghold. The images presented to us by movies, television, and novels stay with us until we travel and see the true nature of a place. Imagine my delight in find a bustling city that was a distinct blend of the old world and of a newer, more modern world that it is embracing. My first introduction to Ukraine was in the beautiful capital city of Kyiv. Kyiv (spelled Kiev by some) is a city that assails the visitor with its rich, medieval history as seen in the beautiful churches and old buildings. The sparkling gold roof tops of many of the cathedrals glisten like beautiful jewels. It is a city of contrasts. In proximity to the churches that are centuries old are modern businesses and many signs of the influence of the Western world such as the McDonald’s restaurants. When I first saw Kyiv in 2001 there was only one McDonald’s restaurant in the entire city and now there are 14!!! Situated on the Dnieper River, Kyiv was at one time the old capital city and the heart of the Kievan-Rus Empire. As you go over the bridge, the drivers all seem to converge together on the other side. Hats off to the taxi drivers of Kiev! They are courageous!! The bridge seen in the next picture is empty of traffic but imagine it with thousands of cars but no traffic signals or signs!!!Everyone relies on courtesy when it comes to driving and so taxi drivers have one goal: to get their fares to where they need to be, safely.

About the Author

Margaret C. Collier is an educator living in Orlando, Florida with her husband and Springer Spaniel, Carly. Her youngest son is with the army, her oldest with the Air Force, living in Colorado Springs with his wife Lindsey. Her daughter and son-in-law Robert live in PA. She holds a BA degree in Art education from the Maryland Institute of Art, an MA from in Elementary education and Special education from Marshall University and the College of Graduate Studies in Charleston, WV, and an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Administration from the University of Florida. Travel has become her passion as has the need to share this with her diverse group of 6th grade geography students. This is the second book in a series of high interest, low vocabulary level reading books for geography that will focus on the countries she has seen and will see in the future. Mary T. Cook is an educator and freelance illustrator. She holds a BS degree from the University of Nebraska, Omaha and a master’s degree from the Savannah College of Art and design. She is currently working on a children’s book based on a real life experience a family member had a bus stop with a moose! She lives in Oveido, FL with her husband Ed and their two dogs, Beanie and Owen. Her daughter and her family live in Chicago, her youngest son and daughter-in-law in Oklahoma and he oldest son in the Oveido area. Mrs. Collier and Mrs. Cook have worked together as educators for over 20 years and in that period of time have presented many workshops on the infusing of the arts into social studies. They are now going to embark on a collaboration of their skills to present informative and comprehensive books to children who need high interest materials on their level of reading. They both work for schools in Seminole County, Florida where classes are diverse academically and culturally.