Synopsis
Long ago in Russia, a proclamation went out through all the land that whosoever could build a flying ship would win the hand of the Tsar’s daughter. But when a country bumpkin and his oddball crew of extraordinary friends show up to claim her, the dumbfounded Tsar quickly has second thoughts. This hilarious retelling of a fantastical Russian folktale is a delightful treat for your entire family. Part of the Rabbit Ears award-winning series We All Have Tales. Ages 5 and up. Illustrated by Henrik Drescher. CD and DVD versions using the same text and illustrations are narrated by Robin Williams with original music by The Klezmer Conservatory Band. Awards: American Library Association Notable Children’s Recording; Finalist, New York Festivals. DVD and digital downloads are available at Amazon Disc on Demand and Amazon Instant Video. The audiobook is available at Audible.com. Hard cover library bound editions of the book are available at www.rabbitears.com. Rabbit Ears stories open a door to the world of great literature. These are timeless and beloved stories that have delighted generations, and continue to offer powerful lessons for today's audiences. Readers of all ages will explore faraway lands and cultures through folktales. You will walk alongside heroes of long ago legends. And discover master storytellers such as Beatrix Potter, Hans Christian Andersen, and Rudyard Kipling. Original illustrations in full color add another dimension to each story, and the texts will foster a love of reading. Get the entire Rabbit Ears library!
From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4-- Collage endpapers--a kaleidescope of postage stamps, paper bits, and line-and-watercolor figures cut out from the book--suggest the frenetic verbal and visual voyage awaiting readers within this version of the classic Russian folktale. The text is witty, the illustrations weird; author and illustrator obviously had one hilariously good time creating this. The fool sails off in a birdlike ship (Are those chicken legs?), collecting an odd assortment of fantastic creatures to go to the wedding of the Tsar's daughter. A flying ship is not enough to claim her hand; the fool and his friends must first perform several other feats, culminating in putting not an army of soldiers around the palace, but instead hundreds of penguins at the South Pole. The bizarre cartoon illustrations, done in Drescher's familiar bold-to-garish colors, are grotesque and very busy. If the book appeals, it will be to an older audience than for Arthur Ransome's traditional retelling (Farrar, 1968). Robin Williams, backed up by the Klezmer Conservatory Band on the accompanying audio-cassette, gives a spirited reading, with many ad libs, even more adult in tone.
- Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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