The Tale of the Firebird

Rating:
Summary: A magical retelling of a trio of Russian folk tales
Review: "The Tale of the Firebird" told and illustrated by Gennady Spirin is adapted from three Russian fairy tales: "Ivan-Tsarevitch and Gray Wolf," "Baba Yaga," and "Koshchei the Immortal." The result is an original story about Ivan-Tsarevitch, the youngest son of the Tsar, who goes on a magical quest when his father declares he must have the Firebird. The reward will be half of his father's kingdom. With Gray Wolf as his companion, Ivan-Tsarevitch travels to different exotic countries when they encounter great evil as well as beauty and love beyond compare as they complete the series of tasks that will allow them to obtain the Firebird. Flying on the talking wolf, our hero confronts the wicked Baba Yaga and rescues the princess Yelena the Beautiful from Koshcehi the Immortal. The way Spirin weaves together these various folk tales is well done, but the strength of this book lies in the delicate and luminous illustrations, which were done in watercolor on Arches watercolor paper. It is from reading glorious picture books like "The Tale of the Firebird" that I have gotten a much better appreciation of what marvelous work can be done with watercolors. This is an exquisite little gem of a book.

Rating:
Summary: A magical retelling of a trio of Russian folk tales
Review: "The Tale of the Firebird" told and illustrated by Gennady Spirin is adapted from three Russian fairy tales: "Ivan-Tsarevitch and Gray Wolf," "Baba Yaga," and "Koshchei the Immortal." The result is an original story about Ivan-Tsarevitch, the youngest son of the Tsar, who goes on a magical quest when his father declares he must have the Firebird. The reward will be half of his father's kingdom. With Gray Wolf as his companion, Ivan-Tsarevitch travels to different exotic countries when they encounter great evil as well as beauty and love beyond compare as they complete the series of tasks that will allow them to obtain the Firebird. Flying on the talking wolf, our hero confronts the wicked Baba Yaga and rescues the princess Yelena the Beautiful from Koshcehi the Immortal. The way Spirin weaves together these various folk tales is well done, but the strength of this book lies in the delicate and luminous illustrations, which were done in watercolor on Arches watercolor paper. It is from reading glorious picture books like "The Tale of the Firebird" that I have gotten a much better appreciation of what marvelous work can be done with watercolors. This is an exquisite little gem of a book.