Crossing Borders - Stories with Clever Hedgehog
Stories, like all art forms — or perhaps more so — have this incredible power and ability to bring people together. For children, especially, they offer not just escape into another world but also bring with them hope through new learnings and discoveries. enriching the minds of young readers.At StoryVerse Land, we believe that every child deserves that experience for early literacy development, creative growth, and to build meaningful connections. When we provide books to children, we enrich their minds and give them an opportunity to let their imagination take flight. As George R.R. Martin wrote, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.”
We are thrilled to partner with Stories with Clever Hedgehog , a remarkable learning initiative led by Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Professor of Developmental Psychology of the Child's Play, Learning, and Development at the University of Delaware.
The project aims to help and support Ukrainian families and their children, where parents and educators can come together in a shared space of learning, imagination, and joy.
Inspiring Dreams Through a Children's Book Collaboration
Stories with Clever Hedgehog is a web platform that offers books, interactive stories, learning materials, games, music, and other resources for parenting communities. Since the Ukraine War, millions of families have been displaced, forcing them to leave behind their homes, memories, learnings, and educational foundations. Children, in particular, face deeper disruptions in their growth, development, and sense of belonging, as their education becomes deeply impacted.
As an educator and child development specialist, Professor Golinkoff recognised the loss and launched Stories with Clever Hedgehog in 2023 to help Ukrainian families with parenting through immersive storytelling and sparking the imagination of their young ones, amid these challenging times.
Stories with Clever Hedgehog features a rich library of storybooks for children, in both English and Ukrainian, ranging from timeless classics to original tales. The goal was to create a comfortable virtual space where parents, children, and educators can come together to nurture imagination and resilience in young minds.
StoryVerse Land is proud to be a part of that journey as we share stories from our magical collection of personalised children’s books with young readers from Ukraine.
The Power of Personalised Children’s Books
At StoryVerse Land, we understand that stories improve emotional quotient and shape early behaviour in children. Personalised storybooks for kids become mirrors for identity and imagination at the early stages of learning, helping to shape young minds with ideas and spark creative growth.
Our stories place the young reader as the hero of the story, fostering emotional intelligence and creative confidence. When children discover themselves in an inclusive personalised children’s book through their name, appearance, or cultural context, they feel seen, valued, and inspired. All these little emotions play a vital role in shaping their personalities. Every StoryVerse Land tale is tailored to reflect the diversity and individuality of every child, allowing them to easily connect with the stories and find hope, joy, and self-expression.
Our latest children’s book collaboration aims to extend those efforts by sharing our stories beyond borders. As an integral part of our Stories with Clever Hedgehog partnership, we have translated two titles – Sunny Explorations with Alex and Ben Finds A Colourful Friend - into Ukrainian, with more books to follow.
Stories Without Borders - A Shared Mission
The initiative by Stories with Clever Hedgehog is a testament to the power of storytelling. By connecting children and the parenting community across cultures and geographies, we aim to bring them hope and offer comfort through joyful, enriching learning. We hope to remind every young reader that life is full of adventures—and they are always their own heroes.
Together, we can make imagination borderless.
Join us in championing stories that heal, uplift, and connect young hearts across the world.
Stories with Clever Hedgehog