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Product Description

A wicked spell has changed the Tsarevitch, a handsome young prince, into ice. Now only a poor peasant girl named Katya can save him, using ingenuity and her grandmother's magic nesting doll. But the Grand Vizier, the cruel wizard who cast the spell, has no intention of letting Katya destroy his handiwork, and he will fight her every step of the way. Is Katya strong enough to prevail and set the Tsarevitch free?

Illustrated by Laurel Long.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #946744 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Opulent oil paintings, as lushly colored and intricately detailed as a Russian lacquer box, set the stage for this original folktale. As Katya's grandmother lies dying, she bequeaths Katya a magic matryoshka, or Russian nesting doll, and tells her that she may open it three times in an hour of need. The girl sets out to make her way in the world and soon arrives in a city under a wicked spell: "It is always winter without thaw, night without moon, and dark without dawn," an innkeeper explains. Worse, the handsome young Tsarevitch has been turned into living ice. With the help of her nesting doll, which releases first a bear, then a wolf and finally a firebird, Katya is able to break the enchantment, give the conniving Grand Vizier a taste of his own frosty medicine, and find true love. Ogburn's (The Jukebox Man) assured storytelling memorably joins together classic fairy-tale elements with Slavic imagery; her tale reads like one already tested by time. Long (The Mightiest Heart) weaves a kind of visual magic in a series of darkly lavish scenes. Her paintings simultaneously recall ornate tapestries, Russian icon art and the romantic elegance of Trina Schart Hyman. All ages. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4-An outstanding literary fairy tale that effectively captures the drama and splendor of traditional Russian folklore. Katya is given a magical nesting doll by her dying grandmother but is told that she can only use its magic three times. After entering a land of eternal winter, the young woman discovers a prince who has been turned into "living ice" through an enchantment. Aided in turn by a bear, wolf, and firebird that appear from inside the doll, Katya is able to restore the prince to his former self and destroy the villainous Grand Vizier. Needless to say, she and the prince live happily ever after. While the writing is filled with description and poetic images, it is the stunning full-page artwork that steals the show. Created using oil paints on paper primed with gesso, the illustrations are alive with detail and reminiscent of the miniaturist style used in Russian decorative items such as lacquered boxes, pins, and some nesting dolls. The palette reinforces the plot with black, blue, and purple gradually giving way to red, gold, and white. The page layout and design are also outstanding. This accessible, gorgeous title will undoubtedly pique children's interest in Russian folklore and nesting dolls. Becky Hickox Ayres's Matreshka (Doubleday, 1992; o.p.) and Corinne Demas Bliss's The Littlest Matryoshka (Hyperion, 1999) also feature the dolls in magical or anthropomorphic roles.
Denise Anton Wright, Alliance Library System, Bloomington, IL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 4-8. In this original fairy tale based on Russian traditions, Katya inherits magical matryoshka dolls from her grandmother, who warns her only to open them "if her need is great"; after three times, "the magic will be gone." Katya journeys out and encounters a land frozen in a permanent winter night. A power-hungry wizard has frozen the prince as well, and Katya decides to use her magic to release the spell and bring back the day. Each turn of the doll reveals a different animal--a bear, a wolf, and a firebird--that helps, in three subsequent episodes, to weaken the wizard's curse. Finally the wizard is defeated, but it's not until Katya kisses the prince that he thaws, and the two are married "most happily, of course." Children will enjoy the story's lyricism, suspense, and traditional conventions, but it's the pictures that really root the story in a magical realm. Formal, ornate paintings, reminiscent of the scenes on lacquered Russian boxes, depict Katya traveling through enchanted landscapes that children will want to savor up close. A romantic, richly illustrated story for children who love traditional fairy tales. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Amazing folk tale
What an excellent book. Both the story and the illustrations are superb. From the concept of the young girl out on her own, with just a small nesting doll her late grandmother bequeathed to her, to the magic the nesting doll contains to help Katya release a spell brought upon by a nasty vizier, to the fairy tale ending with her saving the prince, the story delivers. I have never seen a child's book with such exquisite illustrations. My five year old loves this book and we have re-read it many times; she has also recommended it on her own to friends and teachers. This is a wonderful tale told in an old style, that will endear itself to children, parents and grandparents.

The Magic Nesting Doll
I was looking for an uncommon story for my granddaughter and this book delivered. Lovely graphics and story.

Wonderful Book
I am delighted with this book, as I have just been to Russia on a cruise and the nesting dolls are what I brought back for everyone! Thank you for making this little book available! Malissa Baugh