Charles Mikolaycak's Peter and the Wolf

 I finally found a copy of Peter and the Wolf illustrated by one of my favorites- Charles Mikolaycak.   And the glorious illustrations do not disappoint.  That red gate!  Interestingly this version is pure story and no musical reference at all.  

Peter and the Wolf

translated by Maria Carlson

illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak 1982

(a Samovar!)

Count Your Way Through Russia

 I always pick up Russian or Latin books when I see them at the thrift store for my oldest daughter (who has a degree in both languages and is teaching Latin now).  It's actually amazing how many I've found over the years.  This one has fun colorful illustrations and teaches how to count.

Count Your Way Through Russia

Jim Haskins

illustrations by Vera Mednikov 1987

The Tall Book of Nursery Tales

 Another vintage Tall Book (though not as magical as my favorite Tall Book of Make Believe).  Feodor Rojankovsky did the illustrations and interestingly a different version of The Three Bears.  All the stories are familiar, the pictures are what make it so enjoyable.

The Tall Book of Nursery Tales

pictures by Feodor Rojankovsky 1944

(A Samovar!)

Home

Home 

Carson Ellis 2015

Carson Ellis illustrates all sorts of homes- homes in the country, homes in the city, big homes, small homes.  Her whimsicality makes it delightful.  And I love, love, love the style of the illustrations!

(notice the samovar!)

The Winter Child

The Winter Child

Lee Wyndham

illustrated by Yaroslava 1970

We have a couple versions of this Russian folk tale, sometimes called The Snow Child.  This one has particularly striking illustrations by Yaroslava.

An old man and woman have everything they need on their cozy farm, except for a child.  One Winter day after watching the village children build snowmen, they decide to make a little girl out of snow.  Magically she comes alive and becomes their very own child.   But because she is a snow child, she must sleep outside in the cool weather and can't have anything warm to eat or drink.  And of course as the season changes, she must go away but promises to come back every winter. 

(I love books that show pictures of samovars!)

For some reason the picture of the girl-shaped puddle is particularly sad to me!

The Mouse and The Egg

My Uncle in Texas recently sent me a couple suprise books in the mail.  They were discards from his local library.  One of them was this Russian fable about an old man and woman who live a simple life in their cottage with a mouse and speckled hen.  But when the old man begins to complain of his brown egg for tea, his wife warns him to be thankful.  And in the end he learns his lesson.

The Mouse and the Egg

William Mayne 1980

pictures by Krystyna Turska

The pictures have plenty of detail and folkart appeal. And look, a samovar!