Homecoming

A Ukrainian white stork journeys home in this wordless testament to war’s environmental cost and nature’s boundless hope.

Over a blue-and-yellow shoreline flies a white stork: Ukraine’s symbol of spring, peace, and well-being. The sky is full of fire and smoke, but the stork soars onward. It flies over minefields, flooded neighborhoods, and thousands of bombed-out buildings. Yet all this violence cannot stop the stork from finding its way home.

Shaped by news stories, the author’s heritage, and her authentic experiences of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Homecoming is a wordless picture book tribute to hope amidst the environmental impact of global violence. Winkler’s arresting watercolor landscapes provide an engaging backdrop for discussions of both historic and current conflicts and their ecological impacts . Back matter includes an author’s note and information about the ramifications of war for ecosystems around the world. 

Art from Homecoming was chosen as a winner for American Illustration 44, and it was exhibited at the dPictus Unpublished Picturebook Showcase. It also received a Merit Award at the 3x3 International Illustration Show. Originally published in Italy, Homecoming is Margaryta Winkler’s English-language debut.

A portion of the proceeds from Homecoming will be given to support the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group (uncg.org.ua/en), a member organization of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) working for the benefit of Ukraine’s wildlife during the war.