The Firebird - Hardcover

San Souci, Robert D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803707991 ISBN 13: 9780803707993

Publisher: Dial Books, 1992

Synopsis

Prince Ivan wanders into an enchanted garden and, with the help of the magnificent Firebird, rescues a princess from an evil sorcerer

About this title

Reviews

Grade 2-4-- Although San Souci's text flows smoothly, it can't compensate for Waldherr's poorly executed pictures that use a 19th-century painting style of oil paint glazes over an underpainting on stretched and gessoed paper. An attempt, perhaps, to copy the Pre-Raphaelite styles of Rossetti and Burne-Jones fails miserably. Dressed in a mishmash of Renaissance costumes, the human figures are stilted, distorted, and awkward. The landscapes fare even worse with shapeless trees and jumbled color. This version of a cherished Russian legend never gets off the ground. --Denise Anton Wright, Library Book Selection Service, Inc., Bloomington, IL
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This Russian folktale--made famous by the Stravinsky ballet--is ripe with the delicious ingredients of so many classic stories: a beauteous princess trapped in an enchanted garden, the evil sorcerer who holds her there, fierce dragons, a deadly secret. And to this potent mixture comes a brave, smitten prince who uses a magic talisman from the legendary half-bird/half-woman to free his love. San Souci's ( The Talking Eggs ; The Enchanted Tapestry ) polished retelling resonates with the rich cadences of myth and fairy tale, and although Waldherr's ( Rapunzel ) darkly atmospheric paintings are somewhat uneven--her Firebird is a radiant creature, but the other characters are not always as finely drawn--they bolster the atmosphere of mystery and enchantment that pervades the tale. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

While this earnest retelling details the magical gimmickry of the romantic Russian tale celebrated in Stravinsky's ballet, its humdrum style fails to capture the story's true magic, reducing it to a dungeons-and-dragons series of fortuitous adventures (```I have a magic talisman that will help us,' he said. `Now tell me about this wizard...Where is he now?' `Away on some mysterious errands,' she said''). Waldherr's oil paintings, ``applied over a golden acrylic underpainting,'' have a pleasant glow connoting the once-upon-a-time setting; they are skillfully composed, with grand, smoke-wreathed, many-headed dragons and gracefully painted details, such as flowing costumes and the Firebird's plumage. But the characters' gestures and expressions are as unimaginative as the text. As the only picture-book version in print, this may fill a need, though the story (in briefer form) is also included in Verdy's Of Swans, Sugarplums, and Satin Slippers (1991). (Folklore/Picture book. 5-10) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dial Books
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0803707991
• ISBN 13: 9780803707993
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Waldherr Kris
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32