Sergent

Kvitochok

Sergeant Kvitochok is a children’s book inspired by a true story from Ukraine —

the story of a cat who found himself living among soldiers during the war,

supervising daily life with an attitude, suggesting

he has very strong opinions about how things should be run.

Real Life Story

His real story was shared by the 127th Heavy Mechanized Brigade, who described him as a cat “with an iron character and soft paws,” always staying close to the soldiers and “keeping everything under control.” He even has “official duties,” which include mouse-hunting (for which he receives rewards, naturally). Over time, this is how he built his “military career” and acquired the callsign Sergeant Kvitochok — and so he became Sergeant Kvitochok — a promotion he accepted silently and with great composure, in the way only a cat can.

In English & Ukrainian

The book retells his story in a way that is safe for children, but honest about where it comes from. It isn’t a story about battles. It’s about resilience, companionship, and the strange and very human truth that even in the hardest places,
someone still has to supervise paperwork
(while sitting on it or knocking it off the table).

The book is being translated into Ukrainian,
so that children in Odesa — and Ukrainian families here in the UK — can read it in their own language.