Customer Reviews

Baba Yaga

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When an old couple feel bad that they have no child, they take a log, sing it lullabies and treat it like a baby. Then one morning, they wake to find that the log has magically turned into a boy. They raise the boy as their son, and warn him about the dreaded Baba Yaga that lives nearby. The boy is vigilant against her, but she tricks him and takes him prisoner. Through using his wits, the boy Tishka, escapes and punishes the evil Baba Yaga.

This story is short and easy to read, perhaps a little too short and easy for my seven year old reader, but a good story nonetheless. The unfortunate part of the book is the illustrations. The illustrator selected a 17th century style for her pictures, but they came out looking a little too primitive, and my seven year old did not like them. A surprising error was that the narrative describes the Baba Yaga as flying on a mortar and pestle, whereas the illustrations show her flying on a broom. This is surprising considering that the illustrator and the author were one and the same person.

Overall, despite my complaining, this is an OK book, with a charming story. If you or your children enjoy Baba Yaga stories, then this isn't a bad one to read.

If you are tired of witches on brooms, read Russian folk tales, where baba Yaga uses more imaginative means of transport, lives in a house on chicken legs etc... Good illustrations are necessary to properly enjoy the story.