Children’s Classic Read 2021 December

December 3, 2021
bookhippie
Children

Vasilisa The Beautiful
and…..Baba Yaga.

Pictured: A modern retelling of a classic folk tale brought to life through vivid, rich artwork When Vasilisa s mother dies, she leaves behind a magical doll to look after Vasilisa in times of distress. And distress is close at hand when Vasilisa s father remarries, and her new stepmother and stepsisters send her on an errand to the terrifying witch Baba Yaga, who has an appetite for anything that enters the deep, dark forest. But with her fearlessness and her magical doll, Vasilisa not only passes Baba Yaga s arduous tests, but she also obtains the magic she needs to free herself from a life of servitude. This enchanting retelling of a classic Russian folk tale is brought to spectacular life by Anna Morgunova s breathtaking art.”

Vasilisa The Beautiful
Vasilisa the Beautiful (Russian: Василиса Прекрасная) is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki-
Russian Fairy Tales (Russian: Народные Русские Сказки, variously translated; English titles include also Russian Folk Tales) is a collection of nearly 600 fairy and folktales, collected and published by Alexander Afanasyev between 1855 and 1863. His literary work was explicitly modeled after Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Vasilisa The Beautiful is a favorite of mine. I’m excited to read it for the holiday season. This famous Russian fairy tale is about a brave girl sent by her jealous stepsisters to fetch fire from frightful witch Baba Yaga. 

There is also a movie Vasilisa the Beautiful (Russian: Василиса Прекрасная, romanized: Vasilisa prekrasnaya) is a 1940 Soviet film produced by Soyuzdetfilm and directed by Alexander Rou. It was based on a traditional Russian fairy taleThe Frog Tsarevna (Vasilisa the Wise), rather than the fairy tale of the same name. It was the first large-budget feature in the Soviet Union to use fantasy elements, as opposed to the realistic style long favored politically.


What a lovely year we have had with these books. Me, personally, reading them slowly, daily, making myself pause with them, has been a gift. I so look forward to our continued reading in 2022.

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