On May 23, 2024, the Czech translation of Maksym Brovchenko’s debut book “Planet A” was presented. At this very symbolic time – on the eve of International Children’s Day – European readers are holding in their hands for the first time a printed edition of the long-awaited fantastic story of a 12-year-old autistic boy from the temporarily occupied Berdiansk. Stories about peace and love for all living things are topics that are highly relevant for the entire civilized world today. The presentation of the translation of Planet A by the Nadační fond ATYP, Za sklem o.s., ATYP Press s.r.o. took place as part of the “World of Books” exhibition, which takes place in Prague from May 23 to 26, 2024.
The presentation of the book was accompanied by the festive opening of the exhibition of Max Brovchenko’s paintings (their printed versions), which was held on May 23, 2024, in the hall “Holy Prague”. The exhibition of the young artist’s paintings will be on display throughout the World of Books exhibition.
Maksym’s mother Oksana noted:
“This event was inspiring and responsible for Maksym. I am proud of my son, proud of his talent and desire to do good, to give people joy, and, most importantly, to inform about the existence of autism, human diversity, and equality despite differences, despite the extremely difficult time for our country. We sincerely thank the Czech Republic for the invitation and friendly, warm atmosphere.”
The translation of “Planet A” is a unique edition with a total print run of 2500 copies. First, the book is bilingual – 154 pages in Czech and Ukrainian. Secondly, the book is full-color and fully illustrated with unsurpassed space paintings by Maksym Brovchenko.
The book is intended for young and adult readers. This is exactly the type of literature that knows no age restrictions because it has many hidden levels. Max talks about the characteristics of autistic people and why they are different from others. He writes about the worldview of the inhabitants of Planet A, their high sensitivity, difficulties with adaptation, the rules of education, and the coexistence of individuals who have never known wars in the history of their civilization.
Maksym was happy to sign the book for everyone, which you can see here
The publishing house also “blessed” “Planet A” with golden paper stars, a Czech tradition that says the book will be successful.
Inna Sergienko, the consul of Autism Europe and the founder of the NGO “Child with Future”, who takes care of Maksym’s activities, shared her impressions:
“Today Maksym’s book “Planet A” has started its amazing journey around the world. We are extremely happy about this event, because as many people as possible will learn about the feelings of autistic people and their worldview. And this will happen not in a dry academic form but in a fantastic format of a child’s live story. In my opinion, this is the way to convey the information that there are children who perceive life differently. I am personally very happy because Maksym is happy. Our organization did everything possible to make this happen. For me, as a mother of a teenager with ASD, this is the biggest reward.”
We would like to thank the organizers of the “World of Books” exhibition for a great opportunity to tell not only about “Planet A”, as well as about all autistic people, their peculiarities, their originality, and their talent. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the team of ATYP Press s.r.o. for their invaluable contribution to the development of tolerance and raising awareness about people with mental disabilities.
You can buy the Czech translation of Planet A by Maksym Brovchenko online at ATYP Press s.r.o. or in bookstores in the Czech Republic. The Ukrainian version is available at the Yakaboo online store.
We would like to remind you that Maksym Brovchenko is a well-known young artist whose talent has been supported by the “Child with Future” Foundation for many years. Before the large-scale invasion, the boy painted pictures exclusively about space. After the attack by the russian aggressor, the little “Ukrainian Picasso”, as the Ukrainian media nicknamed him, began to create patriotic paintings, the proceeds from which the schoolboy sends to the Armed Forces and support for Ukrainian autistic children. For such childlike dedication and assistance to the Ukrainian army, Maksym Brovchenko received an award from the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Learn more about Maksym Brovchenko on the artist’s website. And be sure to follow our news, because very soon you will find another good news – “Planet A” will be released in Czech in the format of an audiobook! Watch the video about the recording process here.