Russian Folk Tales

by James Riordan (reteller), Andrew Breaskpeare (illustrator)

Written by award-winning children's author James Riordan, this book is a beguiling collection of stories set among the wide rivers and snow-covered forests and steppes of Russia--a land still shrouded in mystery in the eyes of the Western reader. The incomparable beauty of untamed nature and
the Slavic gift for storytelling make for a captivating combination. Meet boyars and cossacks, kings and queens, merchants and minstrels, robbers and angels, witches and peasants. Ships fly through the air, princesses turn into frogs, a snowmaiden longs for a human heart, the mighty Firebird steals
the golden apples. Folk tales, heroic sagas, legends and myths from villages and towns all across Russia--they are all here in this fascinating anthology. Evocative full-color illustrations accompany each story.

Genres: Fairy Tales, Fiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published December 21, 2000

About the author

Riōdan, Jeimuzu 1936-2012
Riordan, Dž.
Riordan, Džejms.
Riordan, James
Riordan, James William 1936-2012
Riordan, Jim, 1936-2012

James Riordan (10 October 1936 – 10 February 2012) was an English novelist, broadcaster, sports historian, association football player and Russian scholar.

Well known for his work Sport in Soviet Society, the first academic look at sport in the Soviet Union, and for his children's novels.

Reviews

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these Russian Folk Tales; they all have their secret morals and all that but what I love most about them is that it reveals so much about Russian culture and mostly how they are brutal and mad. Sometimes they care about a happy ending and sometimes they could care less and that is where they get you in a suspense.

"Vasilissa the Wise and Baba Yaga", "Fenist the Falcon" and "The Rosy Apple and the Golden Bowl" all have the evil sisters or step sisters in common; the first two also have Baba Yaga in their tales. "The Firebird", "The Frog Princess", and "Ivan the Fool and the Magic Pike" all have the protagonist Ivan in common. My favorite stories are "The Snow Maiden" and "Bella and the Bear".

Lets go over some of my favorite quotes from these stories.
Vasilissa The Wise and Baba Yaga, "Light the stove and make it hot; when I wake up I'll roast that girl in the oven."
Ivan the Fool and the Magic Pike, "The two unfortunate lovers, Ivan the Fool and Princess Ludmilla, were put into this barrel and tossed into the sea."
The Animals Revenge, "As she sat there stuck in the ice, wondering what to do, she suddenly spotted the animals coming with sticks, clubs and clods of earth...
How they laid into the fox, and then tossed mud and rotten tomatoes at her!"
Snowmaiden, "Sixteen years ago I flirted with old red-nosed Frost. Since then he has held me in his power. I cannot go against him, for our daughter's sake." Key word there being flirted.
The Rosy Apple and the Golden Bowl, "While their sister watched, a wicked gleam came into their eyes. While their sister sat quietly on a log, staring down at her golden bowl, they killed her with a knife and buried her body beneath a silver birch tree."

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little book of Russian folk tales and lore. The thing about fairy tales is that even though there is a moral hidden in each story not all the characters come to a good end. My favorites were Catofay Ivanovich, an elderly somewhat grouchy Tom-cat and of course Vasilissa the Wise.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have long thought that all fairy tales are derived from the story of Cupid and Psyche (or, from the source, The Golden Ass). This book does not disprove my theory.

It was interesting to recognize Russian versions of familiar stories, like Cinderella, and East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and even Baron Munchausen. I don't think the telling of the stories was quite as dynamic as it could have been, nor were the illustrations as engaging as they could have been.

[Tami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great little collection of fairy tales! It was fun to read tales from another country, as almost all of them were new to me. I've become fascinated by Baba Yaga and it was interesting to see her show up in several of these.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories

[Renee Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the stories inconsistently written - rhymes were strained and devices such as alliteration were awkward. Try another source for the same stories. Vasilissa the wise and Baba Yaga --Ivan the fool and the magic pike --The animals' revenge --Snowmaiden --Fenist the falcon --The flying ship --Bella and the bear --The frog princess --The rosy apple and the golden bowl --The firebird. [Notes include: About these stories--Notes on the stories--Sources.]

[Stefani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming illustrations and well-told stories. This was great to read on the heels of our Norwegian Folktales book as there was some similarities between them.

I read this and "The Firebird and Other Russian Fairy Tales" (Arthur Ransome)--the stories really didn't have any overlap, which was good to be able to read different stories, but I prefer the stories in this book.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

They are folk tales and none of them are really going to stay with me except for the Russian version of what we know as "The Frog Prince". The illustrations are gorgeous, and I think parents should read world lit to their children at an early age...but perhaps a different book.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the tales are better suited for around the campfire than for bedtime :-)

[Regina Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was nice to actually remember again some of these stories, but i do have to admit that it was weird to read them in English.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stories. The illustrations are engaging.