Clever Katya: A Fairy Tale from Old Russia

A retelling of a classic Russian fairy tale that tells the story of Katya, a feisty seven-year-old who intervenes in a dispute between her father Ivan and brother Dmitri over the ownership rights to a newborn foal.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A satisfying and accessible retelling of a traditional folktale. Dmitri and Ivan argue over the ownership of a young foal. Their dispute eventually comes before the Tsar, who amuses himself by presenting the brothers with a series of four riddles. Dmitri asks a neighbor woman for help while Ivan consults his seven-year-old daughter. In spite of her young age, Katya is the only one able to solve the Tsar's riddles. Impressed by her responses, the Tsar requests that she come to the palace "neither on horseback nor on foot, neither naked nor dressed, and neither bringing a present nor empty-handed." When she arrives, the Tsar, knowing he has been bested, bursts into laughter and rewards Katya's father with the foal and 100 silver ducats. Hoffman's text is based upon "The Wise Little Girl," which can be found in Alexander Afanasev's 19th-century collection of Russian folktales. Angela Carter's The Old Wives' Fairy Tale Book (Pantheon, 1995) also includes a version of the tale, and Hoffman cites that retelling as her source. In adapting it, she has streamlined the plot by eliminating several additional riddles with which the Tsar tests the young girl. This version is ideal for sharing aloud; the language is flowing and memorable and the plot is concise. Cameron's full-page paintings are nicely integrated with the text and utilize a sumptuous palette of royal blue, crimson, and gold. They feature highly decorative borders and offer a stylized-almost naive-vision of Old Russia. The end result is an enjoyable introduction to the traditional culture and folklore of the country.
Denise Anton Wright, Alliance Library System, Bloomington, IL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 5^-8. A rich man gives his poor brother a mare, but when a foal is born, the brothers petition the czar to decide who owns it. For his own amusement, the czar rules that whoever finds the answers to four riddles will win the foal. Returning home, the poor brother consults his thoughtful seven-year-old daughter, Katya. Her answers impress the czar, who sets another challenge: the child must come to the palace "neither on horseback, nor on foot, neither naked nor dressed and neither bringing a present nor empty-handed." Katya's solution so dazzles the czar he waits for her to grow up so that he can marry her. Each page is surrounded by an ethnically inspired border, and the illustrations, painted mainly in rich reds and browns, focus largely on the people, presenting them with expressive faces and ethnic costumes. A fine additional purchase for folktale collections, with clever, courageous Katya proving a refreshing contrast to the helpless young woman in Rumpelstiltskin. Susan Dove Lempke