Alice Nizzy Nazzy: The Witch of Santa Fe (Hardcover)

~ Tony Johnston (Author), Tomie dePaola (Illustrator) "Alice Nizzy Nazzy lived in the desert, near the pueblo of Santa Fe..." (more)
Key Phrases: Alice Nizzy Nazzy

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Together again, Johnston and dePaola team up to transport Baba Yaga, one of Russia's great folklore figures, to the American Southwest. Incarnated here as Alice Nizzy Nazzy, the child-eating witch lives in an adobe hut perched on "skinny roadrunner feet" and surrounded by a fence of prickly pear cactus. When Manuela wanders by in search of her lost sheep, she ends up in Alice's soup caldron. But quick thinking and personal merit ("Good children taste so sour!") save the day, the witch is routed, and sheep and shepherdess arrive home intact. Johnston's frothy tale is handsomely set off by dePaola's exuberant artwork, aglow with the colors of a Santa Fe sunset. DePaola clearly takes great glee in creating a witch of magnificent proportions: with her jalapeno-crowned coiffure, beady red eyes, scarlet fingernails, belt of silver conchos, and a horned lizard draped around her neck like a scarf, Alice Nizzy Nazzy is set to take her place in wicked-witch history. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3?Johnston removes Baba Yaga, aka Alice Nizzy Nazzy, from the Russian forest and places her in a roadrunner-footed, adobe hut in the desert near Santa Fe. Unlucky little Manuela happens upon the sinister scene while searching for her lost sheep. The witch puts her in the cookpot, Manuela tries to make a deal that falls through, but her "goodness" saves her: only naughty children are tasty to witches. Alice flies off in search of a better meal and Manuela happily takes her sheep home. dePaola's pictures are more engaging than ever. He does wonderful things with colors in the Southwestern landscape. His mountains look like ice-cream confections littered with carnival confetti, and he has fun with the little artistic conceit of the first-page image of Frida Kahlo. In spite of the art, the story doesn't quite come off. In traditional tales, the protagonist escapes from the witch's snare through virtuous acts. And in the "Baba Yaga" tale, the heroine helps the gate, dog, etc., and in turn they help her to escape. Kindness brings reward. In this version, however, Manuela offers only flattery instead of good deeds to the witch's fence, house, and lizard/familiar, and they do not help her, even though they seem to like the flattery. The child does nothing to win release from her captor, to get back her sheep, or to deserve a good outcome, but she gets it anyway. This is too facile to be satisfying.?Ruth Semrau, formerly at Lovejoy School, Allen, TX
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 1 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile; First Edition-Signed edition (April 19, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399227881
• ISBN-13: 978-0399227882
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #911,456 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL RECREATION OF BABA YAGA, June 30, 2009

By	Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This review is from: Alice Nizzy Nazzy: The Witch of Santa Fe (Paperback)

Leave it to the vivid imagination of Tony Johnston to fly Baba Yaga from Russian folklore to New Mexico! This incarnation finds the witch with chili peppers for hair and living in an adobe house rather than the forest where she spent so many years.

And, leave it to Tomie dePaola to produce glowing pages with colors of the Southwest as well as comical portraits of Alice Nizzy Nazzy.

When Manuela's sheep are missing the hoof prints lead directly to Alice's frightening fence. What's Manuela to do when faced with the terrifying Alice?

5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful southwest Baba Yaga, March 30, 2001

By	Anja "college librarian" (Alamosa, CO United States) - See all my reviews

The southwest flavor is wonderful. I live only three hours from Sante Fe. Both text and illustrations accurately give a "feel" for the area.

I have read many versions of Baba Yaga. It's interesting to see how she changes in the various tellings, but until this book, I had never read an American retelling. The author and illustrator succeeded in changing the setting without changing the basics of who Baby Yaga is.

It's a more light-hearted telling than some of the European versions.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Southwest BabaYaga, April 22, 2000

By	Patricia Simpson (Washington State) - See all my reviews

As a child I loved Baba Yaga stories. Her house with chicken legs was wonderful. Now meet Alice Nizzy Nazzy, the witch of Santa Fe. With road runner feet and cactus yard, Alice is a Baba Yaga for America. Tomie DePaola's wonderful illustrations perfectly capture this retelling of the classic tale.