The Magic Nesting Doll
Katya's grandmother took a little matryoshka, a nesting doll, out of a small box. "If your need is great, open the doll and help will come. But you may only do so three times. After that the magic will be gone." A wicked spell has changed a handsome young prince to a pale glassy figure made of "living ice," and his kingdom to a frozen landscape of night without moon, darkness without dawn. Katya knows that it's up to her to rescue the prince and undo the evil spell that has banished the sun....
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A wicked spell has changed the Tsarevitch, a handsome young prince, into ice. Now only a poor peasant girl named Katya can save him, using ingenuity and her grandmother's magic nesting doll. But the Grand Vizier, the cruel wizard who cast the spell, has no intention of letting Katya destroy his handiwork, and he will fight her every step of the way. Is Katya strong enough to prevail and set the Tsarevitch free? Illustrated by Laurel Long.Publishers WeeklyOpulent oil paintings, as lushly colored and intricately detailed as a Russian lacquer box, set the stage for this original folktale. As Katya's grandmother lies dying, she bequeaths Katya a magic matryoshka, or Russian nesting doll, and tells her that she may open it three times in an hour of need. The girl sets out to make her way in the world and soon arrives in a city under a wicked spell: "It is always winter without thaw, night without moon, and dark without dawn," an innkeeper explains. Worse, the handsome young Tsarevitch has been turned into living ice. With the help of her nesting doll, which releases first a bear, then a wolf and finally a firebird, Katya is able to break the enchantment, give the conniving Grand Vizier a taste of his own frosty medicine, and find true love. Ogburn's (The Jukebox Man) assured storytelling memorably joins together classic fairy-tale elements with Slavic imagery; her tale reads like one already tested by time. Long (The Mightiest Heart) weaves a kind of visual magic in a series of darkly lavish scenes. Her paintings simultaneously recall ornate tapestries, Russian icon art and the romantic elegance of Trina Schart Hyman. All ages. (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\|
\ Publishers Weekly\ - Publisher's Weekly\ Opulent oil paintings, as lushly colored and intricately detailed as a Russian lacquer box, set the stage for this original folktale. As Katya's grandmother lies dying, she bequeaths Katya a magic matryoshka, or Russian nesting doll, and tells her that she may open it three times in an hour of need. The girl sets out to make her way in the world and soon arrives in a city under a wicked spell: "It is always winter without thaw, night without moon, and dark without dawn," an innkeeper explains. Worse, the handsome young Tsarevitch has been turned into living ice. With the help of her nesting doll, which releases first a bear, then a wolf and finally a firebird, Katya is able to break the enchantment, give the conniving Grand Vizier a taste of his own frosty medicine, and find true love. Ogburn's (The Jukebox Man) assured storytelling memorably joins together classic fairy-tale elements with Slavic imagery; her tale reads like one already tested by time. Long (The Mightiest Heart) weaves a kind of visual magic in a series of darkly lavish scenes. Her paintings simultaneously recall ornate tapestries, Russian icon art and the romantic elegance of Trina Schart Hyman. All ages. (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\|\ \ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyWhen a girl arrives in a city under a wicked spell, she needs the help of a nesting doll bequeathed to her from her dying grandmother to break the enchantment. As PW wrote in a starred review, the "assured storytelling memorably joins together classic fairy-tale elements with Slavic imagery." Ages 4-8. (June) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.\ \ \ Children's LiteratureIn this exquisitely written and lavishly illustrated original Russian tale, children can delight in the triumph of good over evil. They will share the fear and excitement of Katya as she uses her three wishes to rescue the prince who has been cast under a wicked spell by his uncle. Just before Katya's grandmother dies, she gives Katya a matryoshka but warns her not to open it until her needs are great. Several times Katya is near starvation, but each time she is rescued. When she learns of the plight of the prince, she vows to rescue him from the curse. Using the three wishes, her own inner strength, and her love for the prince, she succeeds in freeing him. The vibrant, rich colors of the full-page and double-page illustrations are inspired by Russian folk art and reflect the tone of the text in a powerful way. Reminiscent of Paul Zelinsky's illustrations and the retelling of Rapunzel, this original tale is one that will delight children and bring them back for additional readings. This book can be used as an introduction to Russian culture of the 1800s, as well as a way for children to compare traditional folklore with original tales. 2000, Dial Books, $16.99. Ages 7 to 10. Reviewer: J. B. Petty\ \ \ \ \ School Library JournalK-Gr 4-An outstanding literary fairy tale that effectively captures the drama and splendor of traditional Russian folklore. Katya is given a magical nesting doll by her dying grandmother but is told that she can only use its magic three times. After entering a land of eternal winter, the young woman discovers a prince who has been turned into "living ice" through an enchantment. Aided in turn by a bear, wolf, and firebird that appear from inside the doll, Katya is able to restore the prince to his former self and destroy the villainous Grand Vizier. Needless to say, she and the prince live happily ever after. While the writing is filled with description and poetic images, it is the stunning full-page artwork that steals the show. Created using oil paints on paper primed with gesso, the illustrations are alive with detail and reminiscent of the miniaturist style used in Russian decorative items such as lacquered boxes, pins, and some nesting dolls. The palette reinforces the plot with black, blue, and purple gradually giving way to red, gold, and white. The page layout and design are also outstanding. This accessible, gorgeous title will undoubtedly pique children's interest in Russian folklore and nesting dolls. Becky Hickox Ayres's Matreshka (Doubleday, 1992; o.p.) and Corinne Demas Bliss's The Littlest Matryoshka (Hyperion, 1999) also feature the dolls in magical or anthropomorphic roles.-Denise Anton Wright, Alliance Library System, Bloomington, IL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ From The CriticsLaurel Long illustrates this story of a spell which has changed a young price to an inanimate object. Beautiful fullpage color picture compliment a wordy text which may require good reading skills but rewards its young readers with an absorbing plot of a young girl's courage.\ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsThis beautifully designed and illustrated book will appeal to all who enjoy lavishly illustrated and well-told fairy tales. Long's rich oil paintings, with their details of fabric and flowers, black borders and backgrounds, resemble the jewel-like enameled boxes of Russian folk tradition. The tale, too, incorporates traditional folk elements, including a magical matryoshka doll, talking animal helpers (a bear, a wolf and a firebird), and a handsome prince frozen by an evil spell, who is saved by Katya's courage and her kiss. Katya is a strong heroine who makes her way alone in the world, determined to do what is right. It is only gradually that she falls in love with the Tsarevitch she sets out to save. Ogburn's prose flows smoothly and rhythmically, making this tale as lovely to read aloud as it is to look at. The details of snow, birds, clothing, plants, and animals, and the lavish designs in the architecture and in the interiors, in combination with the appealing story, simply and economically told, but rich in archetypes, make this a book to be enjoyed over and over again. (author's note) (Picture book. 8-10)\ \
