Children's author, linguist, teacher, psychologist
Anna is the author of more than 30 books for children, ‘Helpful Stories’, including the popular series about two little raccoons.
She is a member of the Russian Writers' Union and of the Russian PEN Center.
Anna is an expert in children's reading and reading development.
• Winner of the Eurasian international "Special Achievements" prize in the "Outstanding Contribution to Children' Literature" category.
• Winner of the "Terra Incognita" prize in the "Joys of Life" category.
• Finalist in the "Book of the Year" prize in the "Growing with Books" category.
• Finalist in the "Little Motherland" competition in the "Untouchable Russia" category.
• Awarded a commemorative Year of Literature medal for her outstanding contribution to the book industry.
• Awarded the "For an Outstanding Contribution to 21st Century Russian Literature" medal.
Anna is a regular participant in international and Russian exhibitions, trade fairs, conferences, and festivals.
She is a member of the judging panels of various international literary competitions. Anna has developed the course titled ‘The Art of Story Writing’ and teaches professional writing at the Living Classics Foundation.
In recent years, Anna has acted as scriptwriter and hostess of the awards ceremony for the Book of the Year Competition of the Russian Book Publishers' Association.
She has also acted as writer and performer in the literary-musical show ‘Gifts from Heaven and the Sun’, along with the well-known jazz musician Sergey Letov.
She has performed and given talks in Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Greece, Armenia, Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Iran, India, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and other countries, as well as in more than 50 cities in Russia.
Anna Goncharova presentation (2021)
Two Little Racoons Series
Anna Goncharova, a Russian children’s author, wrote twenty-six books of fun stories, beautiful poems, educational tasks, and wonderful illustrations. These kind stories help children and their parents deal with various life scenarios and teach kindness, compassion, friendship, resilience to fear, and sensitivity to all things beautiful. Many Russian kids love the series about the little racoons. All stories have a beginning and an end, so they don’t have to be read in any particular order. The books are beautifully illustrated and most of them have a fun quiz at the end.
Books of various stories:
Two Little Racoons: Our First Stories
These are the first stories about the two little racoons. In this book, the meet the Dream Fairy and learn why they have to go to bed on time, learn to play together, eat nutritious fruit and vegetables, to believe in the star that keeps them safe, and to notice the beautiful world around them.
Two Little Racoons: The New Stories
In ‘The New Stories’ the little racoons are older. One of them is in school! They meet the Smiley Fairy, clean their house, learn to read and listen to their mother. The little racoons celebrate New Year's Eve and their birthdays and learn that they are loved not because they did something right, but for no reason whatsoever.
Two Little Racoons: The Magic Stories
The new magic stories teach kids to dream, be kind and put away their toys. The little racoons learn what doctors do at the hospital, and there is a story about a thread that links our hearts.
Two Little Racoons: The Wonder Stories
This is the fourth book of the little racoons. They learn to play together, to be quiet when others are asleep, to overcome their fear of dentists, to organize their space, and to notice the good things around them.
Books of seasonal stories:⠀
Two Little Racoons: Winter Stories
In winter, the Magic Forest, where the two little racoons live, becomes especially magical. The beautiful snowflakes float in the air; the old oak tree talks about the life of trees in winter. In the winter stories, the little racoons celebrate New Year’s Eve, find themselves in the Magic Place, learn to care about their loved ones, and spend long winter evenings playing fun games.
Two Little Racoons: Spring Stories
The spring stories teach kids to spend their time in a fun and useful way, teach about the laws of friendship, the magic power of words, and the beauty in every season.
Two Little Racoons: Summer Stories
Summer is a wonderful time for fun and joy. These stories are summery and light. They help kids and their parents to solve problems, teach them to enjoy life, to notice how beautiful nature is, and to appreciate the magical summertime.
Two Little Racoons: Autumn Stories
In these autumn stories, children will join the two little racoons from the Magic Forest in learning to speak kindly, to notice the beauty that surrounds us, to do things on time, to dream, to be responsible, and to show love and care to those around us.
Books of stories and reference information:
Two Little Racoons: The Twelve Months
In this book, you will find poems, sayings, reference information, and riddles about different months of the year as well as stories about different seasons and a fun quiz. You will join the two little racoons in learning more about the magic of every one of the twelve months and appreciating the magic of every day.
Two Little Racoons: The Magic Forest Olympics
Children will learn about the Olympic Games, winter sports, and why it is important to practice a lot if you want results.
This book opens up the world of sports competitions and various winter sports, explains words and events related to the Olympics.
Two Little Racoons Meet the Word Fairy
In this book, you will find educational stories, beautiful pictures, fun tasks, and Russian sayings. Together with the two little racoons from the Magic Forest, children will meet the Word Fairy and learn about the fascinating world of Russian language and literature.
Two Little Racoons: The ABCs of Etiquette
Etiquette is a set of important rules for good manners. These rules are the same for the animals in the Magic Forest and for boys and girls in cities and villages. They need to be respectful, take care of the way they look, know how to behave during mealtimes. They should also remember that it is very important to be on time and need to know how to entertain guests and speak kindly to their loved ones.
In this book, children will learn about good manners from the Etiquette Fairy. The book was co-authored by Elena Vervitskaya, a recognized etiquette expert.
TwoLittleRacoons: AmazingUniverse
In this book, the two little racoons learn how far the Sun is from the Earth, what the Earth looks like from space, and what planets make up the Solar System. The book has many beautiful pictures, poems, reference information, and fun tasks.
Two Little Racoons: The Magic Beads
This book is not just kind and heart-warming stories. It also teaches children to make various things out of beads and helps them develop their patience and imagination. The two little racoons learn how to make presents and put on a home theatre show.
Two Little Racoons: Magic Ecology
This book about two little racoons explains what ecology is, why we need national parks, how forests and water bodies function, and how to take care of the environment.
Two Little Racoons: Long Live Soccer!
In this book, the two little racoons learn about an incredibly popular and one of the oldest existing sports – soccer! The little racoons meet a wolf cub who loves football. They learn about the rules of the game and practice sessions, footballs and goals. They find out how important it is to be part of the team, take the amazing Soccer Train, visit an unusual museum, a real soccer stadium, and even attend the final game of a championship. The book contains additional reference information on the history of soccer.
Two Little Racoons: Visiting Moscow
In the new book, two little racoons learn about the capital city of Moscow, who meets them in the shape of a girl. They help her to get ready for the World Capital City Conference and travel to Moscow’s landmarks, both historical and contemporary.
Two Little Racoons: Staying Home
In the new book of the popular series, the little racoons learn how to deal with boredom, how to find something to do when you are staying home, which games and exercises quickly restore your good mood, what you need to do to avoid viruses and illnesses, what a healthy lifestyle is, and how you can make it fun and easy.
Books of Tasks and Poems (Paperbacks):
Two Little Racoons: ABC
Two Little Racoons: Seasons
Two Little Racoons: Fruit and Vegetables
Two Little Racoons: Colours
Two Little Racoons: Shapes and Sizes
Two Little Racoons: Musical Instruments
Two Little Racoons: The Blue Planet
Playing with Two Little Racoons: A Game Book
The Two Little Raccoons series presentation (2021)
«From heart to heart»
‘Enya, Elya, I have to leave for a couple of days to visit grandma in the next forest,’ said the mother one morning. ‘I will help her clean and paint her house.’
‘You two are big now,’ added the father, winking at Enya, ‘so we will stay here without Mommy.’
‘Why won’t you take us with you?’ asked Elya.
‘Enya can’t miss school, and you Elya have important things to do at preschool,’ said the mother.
The first couple of days without Mom, Elya did very well: she helped Dad, tried to go to bed on time and did not cry.
With each following day, however, she missed her Mom more and more.
Elya started to whine saying that she wanted to go to her mother.
Dad and Enya also missed Mom, of course, but they tried to stay cheerful: they were strong, and strong racoons do not whine.
On the day Mom was supposed to return, Elya lost her patience completely. And no wonder: she had never been away from Mom for so long.
‘Enya, when will Mommy come back?’
‘Soon, Elya. Let’s draw.’
‘I don’t want to draw, I want Mommy!’
‘Elya, let’s make a picture for Mommy,’ suggested Enya.
‘Ok.’
As soon as the little racoons finished the drawing, their mother came back.
‘Mommy!’ cried Elya. ‘I missed you so much!’
‘Oh I couldn’t wait to hug you,’ smiled the mother, hugging her children.
Together they had dinner and drank tasty herbal tea with honey. The children took a bath, brushed their teeth, and went to bed.
‘Mommy, you are so soft and warm,’ said Elya climbing onto her mother’s lap. ‘I was so sad when you were gone. I missed you so much, I cried.’
‘Elya, I will tell you a little secret,’ said Mommy mysteriously. ‘Our hearts are always connected by an invisible thread.’
‘What does it mean?’ asked Elya surprised.
‘It’s simple. Even when we are apart, we are connected by a thread, and I can always feel you. And so can you.’
‘Can this thread break?’
‘No, it cannot.’
‘Will it always be there?’ asked Elya.
‘As long as you love me.’
‘Do you have a similar thread with Enya?’ asked Elya thoughtfully.
‘Of course.’
‘So do I. Because I love him!’
‘That’s right,’ smiled Mommy.
‘Are you and Daddy connected by a thread, too?’ wondered Elya.
‘Of course. Because we love each other.’
‘How wonderful! We are all connected by that thread,’ exclaimed Elya.
The next day, Elya came home from preschool and ran to her mother: ‘Mommy, I felt it! I felt the thread. Now I think that if you had to leave again, I won’t be as upset anymore, because I can always feel your warmth and our thread.’
‘I also felt your warmth,’ added Enya, coming up to his sister.
‘I am so glad we have so many magical threads,’ said the father, entering the room and giving his children a big hug.
How amazing these invisible threads are: helping us feel closer to everyone we love. These threads go from one heart to another. They are stronger than any rope because they are made and protected by Love. And Love is the most magical, most amazing feeling in the whole wide world.
We are connected to those we love
By a magical thread, strong and tough.
It makes us feel like we’re near,
And keeps away any fear.
Invisible, it goes from one heart to the other.
Unbreakable, as long as we love each other.