The Tale of Tsar Saltan

Betrayed by her jealous sisters, a Tsarina and her infant son are marooned on a barren island until a magical swan helps them regain their rightful heritage

Grade 2-6?Three sisters sit near a window and dream of marrying the tsar. Suddenly he appears in their room; he has overheard the youngest girl's wish to have a strong, brave son. Touched by what he has heard, he declares that he will marry her. Not wishing to separate her from her sisters, he invites the others to the court, one as a cook and one as a weaver, according to their expressed desires for fine food and clothes. But, as in all good folk tales, jealousy enters the picture. When the tsarina gives birth to a fine son, her sisters plot her downfall, and have her and her child placed in a barrel and sent out to sea. But enchantment and good nature overcome mean-spiritedness in the end, and the tsar is reunited with his wife and child. The real enchantments in this book are Spirin's illustrations. Each picture is richly detailed and full of expression. Both text and pictures are enhanced by curved borders that depict background scenes. The endpapers are especially dramatic, showing a barrel washing ashore through a pounding surf. Spirin's work reflects the Russian origins of the story with the opulence of the tsar's court and remarkable detail in costume and architecture. Children will delight in the righteous revenge of the tsar's son when, disguised as various insects, he stings his aunts' eyes. A satisfying and charming addition.?Connie C. Rockman, formerly at Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Though born into different centuries, these two prodigious Russian talents cast the same spell over their audience. Pushkin's fairy tale gleams with magic and wonder, and Spirin (The Frog Princess) mirrors his countryman's sensibility, his enchanted watercolors once again displaying the breathtaking delicacy of spun gold. The story is one of betrayal by two jealous sisters whose younger sister marries Tsar Saltan. They hatch a scheme to drown the tsarina and her son; unbeknownst to the sisters (and the tsar), mother and son are aided by a magical swan, who eventually helps reunite the royal family and?transformed into a beautiful princess?marries the tsarevitch. Spirin's intricate illustrations resonate with splendor and joyful pride in the Russian aesthetic heritage. He lovingly details rich brocades and chains of mail; he borders the text with arc-shaped panels above and elegant decorations below. Under Spirin's guidance, the story, superb on its own, simply soars. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 7^-9. In this fairy tale, a young woman marries the czar and bears him a son, but her evil sisters and the czar's wicked cousin plot against her. Separated from the czar by their treachery, she raises her son to manhood. With the help of a swan who is really a bewitched princess, the young man finds his father, exposes the plot against his mother, and reunites his parents. This handsome book is not for the traditional picture book audience. The text is long, and the handsome, richly detailed illustrations are more notable for their mythic quality than for their child appeal. This elaborately designed edition is best suited to larger collections or where Russian literature is in demand. Carolyn Phelan