The Firebird and Other Russian Fairy Tales (A Studio Book)

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous
Review: Like a fool over 22 years ago I gave my copy to my nieces my copy of this most wonderful storybook. The illustrations are some of the most imtensive color printing I've seen in many years, the stories are equally wonderful, and would be welcome in anyones' fine book collection.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: The full-page illustrations in this book are simply stunning. The soft pastels blend with the glittering jeweltones, and the fantasy settings and gorgeous characters are sumptuously detailed. Each plate is a work of art and suitable for framing; believe me, if you have a color scanner/printer you'll be grateful. Notes at the end of the book inform us that the illustrations are reproduced from the original gouache paintings, and the pages are in heavy glossy paper.

There are four tales in this volume: The Firebird, Maria Morevna, Vassilissa the Fair, The Snow Maiden.

The pictures will take your breath away. The stories are charming and well translated (from an older Russian translated into French volume), but you will probably be too taken away by the glorious art to really pay much attention to the not-really-for-small-children fairy tales.

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Book
Review: The illustrations in this volume are lush and expressive-- Baba Yaga is truly a sight to see. Boris Zvorykin's vivid imagination perfectly complements the stories, bringing them to life without overshadowing them. Of all the books I read as a child, this is no doubt one of the most memorable and most touching.