The Littlest Matryoshka - Hardcover

Corinne Demas Bliss

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786801530 ISBN 13: 9780786801534

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 1999

Synopsis

Nina, the smallest of a group of Russian nesting dolls, is separated from her sisters and swept along on a dangerous journey that eventually brings her back home.

About this title

About the Author:

Corinne Demas Bliss is the author of several books for children, including Matthew’s Meadow. Ms. Bliss is a professor of English at Mount Holyoke College, and lives with her family in western Massachusetts.

From Booklist:

In a Russian village, Nikolai the matryoshka maker carves and paints six sister dolls, small to large, that will nest inside each other. Anna, the biggest, looks after her sisters during the long trip to an American toy shop. When Nina, the littlest doll, falls onto the floor and is kicked out the door, she begins an adventure that takes her through the snow, onto a dump truck, and into a stream. Plucked from the water by a heron and gathered and then discarded by a squirrel, she is discovered by a little girl who, miraculously, reunites her with her sisters. Similar in structure to Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," this story also uses his device of giving the dolls perception and feelings without endowing them with undoll-like abilities, such as walking or talking. Unlike Andersen's story, this quiet adventure tale has no villain, though the hand of fate is apparent for ill as well as good. When the dolls are separated, the feeling of loss is intense. Children will share the character's satisfaction when the set of dolls is made whole again. The delicate sense of an orderly universe that shines through the writing is reflected in the appealing paintings. The illustrator of Mem Fox's Tough Boris (1994), Brown creates a series of double-page spreads and smaller illustrations that combine good composition, clear delineation of forms, and appealing hues. Like Nina, who was "made of the heart of the sweet-smelling wood," this picture book was crafted of emotional heart wood, and children will respond to its essential goodness. Carolyn Phelan

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0786801530
• ISBN 13: 9780786801534
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Kathryn Brown