Ira Bova

Ira Bova (real name Iryna Garkusha, born Iryna Berezhna, 8 March 1989) is a children's writer, poet, translator, motivational speaker, and creative mentor. 
==Life==
Ira Bova was born and grew up in Kurakhove, Donetsk oblast, Ukraine, in a family of a miner and nursery teacher. She spent much of her early life in a village with her grandmother. She has a younger sister and an older brother.
Ira Bova completed her primary education at a local school in Kurakhove, Donetsk oblast, Ukraine. From an early age, she was interested in creating stories, and the performing arts, actively participating in local plays and performances. 
Ira Bova obtained a master's degree in Greek philology from Mariupol State University, Ukraine. During her university tenure, she started travelling across Europe and the United States.
In 2014, when Russia attacked eastern Ukraine, Ira and her husband fled to Bucha and later to Kyiv as refugees. In 2022, when Russia invaded the entire country, Ira and her husband were forced to leave their homeland once again, this time with their two young children. They were invited to move to England by Ira’s friend whom she met in the USA. 
Ira has been living in Frodsham, Cheshire, England since 2022.
==Career==
Ira Bova started rhyming when she was 3-4 years old. During school, her poems were published in local newspapers and won first prizes in regional competitions. 
During her high school years, Ira enrolled in the Donetsk School of Leaders, where she started to learn the principles of personal development. She continued to explore this theme after she moved to Kyiv. The life-coaching program that had the most impact on Ira was led by psychologist and motivational speaker Alla Klymenko, who runs the life educational company Upgrade.
Ira continued writing poems for adults till her first son was born in 2014. After she started writing for children.
She believes that children's literature has the power to make the world a better place. Her stories often focus on themes of self-development, safety, and positive thinking.
===Happie and Her Superpower===
Her first book, Happie and Her Superpower (Ukrainian: Хаппі та її суперсила, romanized: Khappi ta yii Supersyla), tackles the issue of online safety, in particular sexting. The story follows a tortoise named Happie, who is faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to send intimate photos to someone she met online.
The book was published in Ukraine, in 2020, by Talent, and republished with around 20000 copies in Ukrainian and Russian languages. 
It is supported by the Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights and the project #stop_sexting, which aims to protect Ukrainian children from sexual abuse on the Internet.
The book was awarded as one of the 50 most important books for parents to read (by BaraBooka, Ukraine, 2021), was granted to be placed in Ukrainian libraries (by the Ukrainian book institute), and is included in the UK libraries catalogues.
The #stop_sexting developed educational materials for primary schools based on the book. In the first month alone, over 140,000 students and teachers engaged with Happie's story to learn about online safety.
It was made into a cartoonХаппі та її суперсила: перший український мультфільм про онлайн-безпеку для дітей 5–10 років, Нова українська школа (in Ukrainian) of the same title released by the Ukrainian animation company WOW-HOW Studio in 2022 in UkrainianПерший український мультфільм про безпеку дітей онлайн Хаппі та її суперсила, on YouTube. and EnglishHappie and Her Superpower: a cartoon about Children's Internet Security, on YouTube. languages, available on different streaming platforms.
===Dyvodream and Pizamna Pani===
Her second book, Dyvodream and Pizamna Pani (Ukrainian: Диводрім і Піжамна Пані, romanized: Dyvodrim i Pizhamna Pani), describes a magical adventure of a 5-year old girl Yasya and a wizard Dyvodream while she is sleeping. The book is considered unique because all the illustrations were made from photos of real toys. The designer is Nelli Rodionova. It was published in Ukraine, 2021, by Black Sheeps publisher, and was granted to be placed in Ukrainian libraries (by the Ukrainian book institute). The book was printed in Slovakia under the program “100,000 books for Ukrainian children” from First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.
Category:1989 births
Category:Writers
Category:Poets
Category:Motivational speakers