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Fairy tales from Eastern Europe
A collection of fairy tales from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, including "God's Cockerel" and "Cinder Jack".
157 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Neil Philip
122 books37 followersNeil Philip is a writer, folklorist and poet. He is married to the artist Emma Bradford, and lives in the Cotswolds, England. Neil loves words, poetry, and the art of storytelling in all its forms. Among his many books are A Fine Anger, Victorian Village Life, The Cinderella Story, The Penguin Book of English Folktales, Mythology (with Philip Wilkinson), The Great Mystery, War and the Pity of War, The New Oxford Book of Childrens Verse, The Tale of Sir Gawain, Horse Hooves & Chicken Feet, and The Adventures of Odysseus. Neil has contributed to numerous journals, including The Times, and Signal: Approaches to Childrens Books, and has also written for stage, screen, and radio. His work has won numerous awards and honours, including the Aesop Award of the American Folklore Society and the Literary Criticism Book Award of the Childrens Literature Association. Outside of the storied world, Neil is passionate about cats, art, music, France, food & wine, and friendship.
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October 13, 2015Title: Fairy Tales of Eastern Europe
Author: Neil Phillip
Illustrator: Larry Wilkes
Genre: European Folktales
Theme(s): Use of Wishes, Kindness, Cleverness, Pride
Opening line/sentence: “In the beginning there was nothing but god, and god slept and dreamed”
Brief Book Summary: Fairy Tales of Eastern Europe is a book of classic European fairy tales dealing with the common themes of cleverness, determinations, pride, wickedness and so on. Classic tales of Baba Yaga and Babushka appear in this book with colorful and black and white illustrations that bring the book to life.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly. Twenty-two stories adapted from original eastern European lore comprise this flavorful collection, which strongly affirms the enchanting appeal of fairy tales. Common themes of the genre are prevalent--kindness, cleverness and determination are rewarded; pride, greed and wickedness are (often brutally) punished--and well-known characters such as Baba Yaga and Babushka appear throughout. In addition to making the stories accessible, folklorist Philip takes great care to provide authentic translations that closely replicate the oral traditions and individual cultures of the various countries. Wilkes's numerous pen-and-ink sketches and full-color paintings bring the look of old Europe to life while tenderly depicting the human frailties that are at the heart of good storytelling. The end result is mesmerizing. Amidst sweeping social and political changes that continue to shrink the distance between nations, it is comforting to find literature that is familiar--but with a pinch of added spice. Ages 9-up. (Oct.)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: School Library Journal. Gr 3-6 --A Slavic smorgasbord. Philip presents 22 traditional tales that have originated and appeared, in different variations, throughout the folk literature of the area and a few that have been absorbed from bordering cultures. The collection is brimming with drama, humor, pathos, adventure, and romance. Fantastic elements and such beings as Fate, Misery, Intelligence, and Luck are introduced in otherwise down-to-earth settings to match wits and grapple with their all-too-human counterparts. Versions of oft-told tales, such as ``The Twelve Months,'' ``The Flying Ship,'' and ``Wishes,'' appear--as do some more obscure selections--all told in a straightforward and entertaining style. Some of the shorter entries, such as ``The Longed-for Hedgehog,'' provide just the skeleton of the story and are not as satisfying as the more fleshed-out selections. Notes and origins of each tale are appended. Wilkes's bold, crosshatched pen-and-ink drawings are interspersed with lovely, full-page watercolor paintings that capture ethnic detail and add to the enchantment. Political and geographical boundaries may come and go, but these tales transcend such borders and continue to speak to and enrich universal audiences.--Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Response to Two Professional Reviews: I like how both reviewers touched upon the illustrations in the book and mentioned the black and white/ pen and ink pictures as well as the full color paintings. When reading this book I thought the illustrations were very interesting and grasped my attention. In addition, it was important that School Library noted the special “spice” Philip added to his book with his collection of humorous and adventurous stories. It’s always nice when authors are appreciated for their hard work.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: Philip used great use of tone to make his stories come to life. He often has a tone of great humor mixed with romantic adventure and it added so much life to his story and you could really hear his voice. He uses characterization of his characters to portray his themes throughout the book.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This book can be used to apply to lessons on classic Fairy Tales. Many of the fairy tales found in this book are popular classics children should be exposed to. Children can each pick a fairytale they wish to study and report on it. There are many versions of fairy tales and children can learn the difference and where they come from.
Author: Neil Phillip
Illustrator: Larry Wilkes
Genre: European Folktales
Theme(s): Use of Wishes, Kindness, Cleverness, Pride
Opening line/sentence: “In the beginning there was nothing but god, and god slept and dreamed”
Brief Book Summary: Fairy Tales of Eastern Europe is a book of classic European fairy tales dealing with the common themes of cleverness, determinations, pride, wickedness and so on. Classic tales of Baba Yaga and Babushka appear in this book with colorful and black and white illustrations that bring the book to life.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly. Twenty-two stories adapted from original eastern European lore comprise this flavorful collection, which strongly affirms the enchanting appeal of fairy tales. Common themes of the genre are prevalent--kindness, cleverness and determination are rewarded; pride, greed and wickedness are (often brutally) punished--and well-known characters such as Baba Yaga and Babushka appear throughout. In addition to making the stories accessible, folklorist Philip takes great care to provide authentic translations that closely replicate the oral traditions and individual cultures of the various countries. Wilkes's numerous pen-and-ink sketches and full-color paintings bring the look of old Europe to life while tenderly depicting the human frailties that are at the heart of good storytelling. The end result is mesmerizing. Amidst sweeping social and political changes that continue to shrink the distance between nations, it is comforting to find literature that is familiar--but with a pinch of added spice. Ages 9-up. (Oct.)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: School Library Journal. Gr 3-6 --A Slavic smorgasbord. Philip presents 22 traditional tales that have originated and appeared, in different variations, throughout the folk literature of the area and a few that have been absorbed from bordering cultures. The collection is brimming with drama, humor, pathos, adventure, and romance. Fantastic elements and such beings as Fate, Misery, Intelligence, and Luck are introduced in otherwise down-to-earth settings to match wits and grapple with their all-too-human counterparts. Versions of oft-told tales, such as ``The Twelve Months,'' ``The Flying Ship,'' and ``Wishes,'' appear--as do some more obscure selections--all told in a straightforward and entertaining style. Some of the shorter entries, such as ``The Longed-for Hedgehog,'' provide just the skeleton of the story and are not as satisfying as the more fleshed-out selections. Notes and origins of each tale are appended. Wilkes's bold, crosshatched pen-and-ink drawings are interspersed with lovely, full-page watercolor paintings that capture ethnic detail and add to the enchantment. Political and geographical boundaries may come and go, but these tales transcend such borders and continue to speak to and enrich universal audiences.--Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Response to Two Professional Reviews: I like how both reviewers touched upon the illustrations in the book and mentioned the black and white/ pen and ink pictures as well as the full color paintings. When reading this book I thought the illustrations were very interesting and grasped my attention. In addition, it was important that School Library noted the special “spice” Philip added to his book with his collection of humorous and adventurous stories. It’s always nice when authors are appreciated for their hard work.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: Philip used great use of tone to make his stories come to life. He often has a tone of great humor mixed with romantic adventure and it added so much life to his story and you could really hear his voice. He uses characterization of his characters to portray his themes throughout the book.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This book can be used to apply to lessons on classic Fairy Tales. Many of the fairy tales found in this book are popular classics children should be exposed to. Children can each pick a fairytale they wish to study and report on it. There are many versions of fairy tales and children can learn the difference and where they come from.
September 25, 2015
We read this assortment of eastern European fairy tales to complement our Middle Age history lesson about Russia. I'm no gonna lie. There was some pretty weird tales here, but we enjoy them all the same. :-)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews