Grandma tells Arnie how a poor peddler saved a village from being destroyed by soldiers with the help of the stone men he always made on his journeys.
Author: Book Importer
The Firebird
A retelling of the Russian folktale in which Prince Ivan encounters the magical Firebird who helps him defeat the evil Kostchei.
Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave
A retelling of the old Russian fairy tale in which beautiful Vasilisa uses the help of her doll to escape from the clutches of the witch Baba Yaga, who in turn sets in motion the events which lead to the once ill-treated girl’s marrying the tzar.
The Devils Who Learned to Be Good
After feeding two starving beggars, an old Russian soldier receives a magical flour sack and deck of playing cards which help him to remove some pesky devils from the Tsar’s palace.
Baba Yaga: A Russian Folktale
When she is sent by her father’s cruel housemaid to the fearsome Baba Yaga, a clever young girl uses kindness to make her escape.
The Giant Wheel
One day a ferris wheel appears next door to the zoo, and the animals can’t wait to try it out. At night, they slip out of their cages and one by one, they climb into the gondolas to enjoy the view–but never did they dream they would see so far.
Marushka and the Month Brother
A retelling of the Slavic folktale in which the Month Brothers’ magic helps Marushka fulfill seemingly impossible tasks which prove the undoing of her greedy stepmother and stepsister.
The Moon Man
Marion’s painting of a Moon Man comes to life and seeks ways to shine like the real moon.
A Perfect Pork Stew
When Ivan the Fool meets Baba Yaga, the witch of Russian folklore fame, on a day that has begun badly for her, he outwits her by making dirt soup, getting a fine, fat pig in the bargain.
Luba and the Wren
In this variation on the story of “The Fisherman and His Wife,” a young Ukrainian girl must repeatedly return to the wren she has rescued to relay her parents’ increasingly greedy demands.