The book that unites hearts

      The publishing house "Malysh" (AST) and the Charitable Foundation "Illustrated Books for Young Blind Children" presented the interactive book "Our Ancient Capital."

      On April 3, the presentation of the interactive book by Natalia Konchalovskaya with three-dimensional constructions "Our Ancient Capital" took place at the Moscow House of Books on Arbat, created in collaboration with the publishing house "Malysh" and the Foundation "Illustrated Books for Young Blind Children."

      The publication introduces children to the history of Moscow in an interactive format: three-dimensional constructions — fortress walls, towers, and cathedrals — unfold on the pages of the book, allowing the child to literally "touch" the architecture of the city, creating an immersive effect in the historical space and emotionally engaging the child in the process of learning.

      Thanks to tactile and visual elements, the book helps children perceive historical and cultural material through touch and play.

      The Chairperson of the Foundation, Tatiana Degen, noted: "This book will be accessible and interesting to all children – both with visual impairments and without health issues. They will be able to play with it together. It is very important and valuable for us that the key idea of our Foundation – socialization, adaptation, integration of children with visual impairments into society – has been realized in this project. This is exactly what we have been doing for many years."

      The poem by poetess and writer Natalia Konchalovskaya "Our Ancient Capital" is one of the key poetic works about Moscow. It presents the history of Moscow from its foundation to the 17th century. Ksenia Kudakova, Deputy Head of the "Malysh. Fiction" editorial board, said: "…this poem is a fundamental work that has been written for over 15 years. It covers a vast period of Moscow's formation. Natalia Konchalovskaya's work is unique in terms of language, idea, and narrative form."

      The project features an adapted version of the poem. On each of the three-dimensional spreads, readers will be able to learn about different historical periods of Moscow: wooden, stone, and brick. The three-dimensional panoramas will show how the Kremlin grew and changed over the centuries, while a map of the modern Kremlin will help orient visitors during future visits.

      The Charitable Foundation "Illustrated Books for Young Blind Children" is a non-profit organization engaged in the creation and distribution of special books for children with visual impairments, as well as the development of an accessible environment for children's reading. The Foundation's projects aim to make literature and cultural heritage accessible to all children, regardless of their perception abilities. The Foundation's awards also testify to its high level. Among the awards, there are two that particularly reflect the essence of the Foundation's activities.

      In 2015, the Foundation's book "Kids in a Cage" was selected by the International Board on Books for Young People for the collection of outstanding IBBY books for young people with disabilities.

      In 2022, the Foundation was awarded a diploma "For Charity and Involvement in Publishing Books by the Best Artists of Russia" at the annual international festival "The Image of the Book" for illustrations to the set "The Snow Queen."

      In 2024, the developmental book set "Tales of the Peoples of Russia" was sent for review to the IBBY commission and took its place in the collection of books in libraries in Toronto, and this year the Russian Geographical Society sent the Foundation's books from the series "Journey through Countries and Continents" to the Alexandria Library.

      This confirms not only the quality of the book products but also their social significance.