Katerina, the much-loved character created to help children discover the world of the Maltese Honey Bee and the importance of protecting our natural environment, is evolving.
Her original design was created by Michael Piscopo for the Katerina song trilogy, which was launched in Maltese last year. The character later reached an even wider audience through the English versions of the songs released this year, retaining the distinctive features that have made Katerina instantly recognisable.
Now, as Katerina prepares for her next adventure, she is receiving a fresh new look. While preserving the key elements and identity of the original character, the new design gives Katerina a renewed appearance suited to the illustrated world of her forthcoming storybooks.
The new interpretation of Katerina has been created by Samuel Casha, who is also illustrating the upcoming books written by acclaimed Maltese authors Clare Azzopardi and Leanne Ellul.
The books form part of the project Katerina’s Storybooks Adventure, an educational storytelling initiative that will take young readers on a journey through some of Malta’s characteristic natural habitats. Through Katerina’s adventures, children will encounter different plants, animals and landscapes while learning about biodiversity, pollinators, ecological relationships, environmental threats and the importance of conserving the Maltese Honey Bee and its natural environment.
The stories are designed to combine imagination, education and conservation, making environmental themes accessible and engaging for younger readers. Each adventure will place Katerina within a different Maltese habitat, allowing children to discover how these environments function, the species that depend on them, and why they need to be protected.
Katerina may be evolving, but her identity and purpose remain unchanged. From song to storybook, she continues to grow alongside the project while retaining the familiar elements that connect her new adventures with the character first introduced to children through the musical trilogy.
The new books, written by Clare Azzopardi and Leanne Ellul and illustrated by Samuel Casha, are currently in preparation and will be released soon as part of Katerina’s Storybooks Adventure.
The project is being coordinated by Abner Joe Buttigieg and Dylan Farrugia on behalf of the Foundation for the Conservation of the Maltese Honey Bee through the Small Initiatives Support Scheme (SIS), managed by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector and supported through public funding.
Disclaimer: This project has been funded by the Small Initiatives Support Scheme (SIS) managed by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS) supported by the Ministry for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector (MIV). This project/ publication reflects the views only of the author, and the MCVS cannot be held responsible for the content or any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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