Clever Katya: A Fairy Tale from Old Russia [Paperback]

Mary Hoffman (Author), Marie Cameron (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

When Katya's father and his wealthy but selfish brother disagree about which of them owns a newly born foal, its falls to the tsar of all Russia to settle the case. The tsar decides to do so by setting the brothers a riddle. Katya hears the riddle and knows exactly what to do and the events that follow change all their lives. Full color.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A satisfying and accessible retelling of a traditional folktale. Dmitri and Ivan argue over the ownership of a young foal. Their dispute eventually comes before the Tsar, who amuses himself by presenting the brothers with a series of four riddles. Dmitri asks a neighbor woman for help while Ivan consults his seven-year-old daughter. In spite of her young age, Katya is the only one able to solve the Tsar's riddles. Impressed by her responses, the Tsar requests that she come to the palace "neither on horseback nor on foot, neither naked nor dressed, and neither bringing a present nor empty-handed." When she arrives, the Tsar, knowing he has been bested, bursts into laughter and rewards Katya's father with the foal and 100 silver ducats. Hoffman's text is based upon "The Wise Little Girl," which can be found in Alexander Afanasev's 19th-century collection of Russian folktales. Angela Carter's The Old Wives' Fairy Tale Book (Pantheon, 1995) also includes a version of the tale, and Hoffman cites that retelling as her source. In adapting it, she has streamlined the plot by eliminating several additional riddles with which the Tsar tests the young girl. This version is ideal for sharing aloud; the language is flowing and memorable and the plot is concise. Cameron's full-page paintings are nicely integrated with the text and utilize a sumptuous palette of royal blue, crimson, and gold. They feature highly decorative borders and offer a stylized-almost naive-vision of Old Russia. The end result is an enjoyable introduction to the traditional culture and folklore of the country.
Denise Anton Wright, Alliance Library System, Bloomington, IL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-8. A rich man gives his poor brother a mare, but when a foal is born, the brothers petition the czar to decide who owns it. For his own amusement, the czar rules that whoever finds the answers to four riddles will win the foal. Returning home, the poor brother consults his thoughtful seven-year-old daughter, Katya. Her answers impress the czar, who sets another challenge: the child must come to the palace "neither on horseback, nor on foot, neither naked nor dressed and neither bringing a present nor empty-handed." Katya's solution so dazzles the czar he waits for her to grow up so that he can marry her. Each page is surrounded by an ethnically inspired border, and the illustrations, painted mainly in rich reds and browns, focus largely on the people, presenting them with expressive faces and ethnic costumes. A fine additional purchase for folktale collections, with clever, courageous Katya proving a refreshing contrast to the helpless young woman in Rumpelstiltskin. Susan Dove Lempke --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Barefoot Books (October 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905236050
• ISBN-13: 978-1905236053
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,139,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great, May 3, 2008

By 

elfdart - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clever Katya: A Fairy Tale from Old Russia (Paperback)

this story is about a girl who uses her head to help out her father who gets himself in trouble over a donkey. a man gave katya's father a horse and that horse had a baby with the father's mare, so the guy who first gave the horse wanted the foal, so he took the case to the tsar. the king gives out a riddle to the two men and says whoever answers the riddle gets the foal. the riddle is 'what is the fastest thing in the world, what is the fattest thing in the world, what is the softest thing in the world and what is the most precious?' the other guys asks a neighbour who owes him some money and the father asks katya. i won't tell you the answer but i'll say that katya won. the tsar was interested in these answers and asked the father who told them to him, to which he replied his daughter. so the king asked the father to bring katya to him, but he said that 'she must come neither on horseback nor on foot, neither naked nor dressed and neither bringing a present nor empty handed.' so she goes to him, and at the end of the book he marries her because she was the most clever person in the kingdom.

this was a nice story based on an old russian folktale. the pictures are beautiful and colourful with nice traditional, colourful borders surrounding them. i first heard this story in grade 3 or 4 and it was one of those that i remembered to this day. it's one of those odd books you'll find where the girl gets the guy because of her brain, not her beauty. a beautiful story. i recommend.