Elinda Who Danced in the Sky: An Estonian Folktale [Hardcover]

Lynn Moroney (Author), Veg Reisberg (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

The legend of a sky goddess who overcomes her disappointment at losing Prince Borealis and goes on to reign as Queen of the Sky.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This Estonian folktale features kind, beautiful Princess Elinda, who hatches from a tiny bird's egg and grows up to guide migrating birds. Her many suitors include the North Star (she finds him too "distant and unmoving") and Moon (who "always takes the same narrow path"). But Prince Borealis, Lord of the Northern Lights, dances across the night sky with Elinda and wins her heart. When the Prince's people refuse to let him marry, Elinda is grief-stricken. Her bird friends lift her gently to the sky and crown her with stars. Though she and the prince can never marry, they still dance in the sky in deepest winter. And Elinda's wedding veil, floating out behind her, is what we know as the Milky Way. The lovely tale retains a timeless quality although it has a thoroughly modern bent (Elinda has a mind of her own, and her sense of self-worth helps her to regain her strength). The highly stylized art, dramatic in its colors, patterns and evocations of a fairy-tale Eastern Europe, further enhances the story's appeal. Ages 6-12.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 26 pages
• Publisher: Children's Book Press (CA) (November 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892390662
• ISBN-13: 978-0892390663
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,483,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Story - disappointing illustrations, September 30, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Kent, Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elinda Who Danced in the Sky: An Estonian Folktale (Hardcover)

It's only been 8 years since Estonia and the Baltics as a whole have been mapped for Americans.Therefore I find it unfortunate that the drawings, especially of Elinda, do not resemble the ethnic types found in the Baltic region. The illustrator seemed to have had little or no knowege of Estonian history, traditions, folk art, costumes, and Baltic types, important, if we want to use this lovely story as a teaching tool, bringing geography and culture together.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars few and far between, May 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Elinda Who Danced in the Sky: An Estonian Folktale (Hardcover)

It was wonderful to read this estonian folk tale, but as fascinating as it was I, too, was disappointed in the depiction of Elinda. After I got over my excitement at seeing an Estonian story in print.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a wonderful book., September 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Elinda Who Danced in the Sky: An Estonian Folktale (Hardcover)

We love this book. The illustrations are bold and bright, as is the heroine, (who does her job well and knows her own mind.) The tale is a nice rendition of how the Milky Way came to be, one I've never read anywhere else.