Clever Katya: A Fairy Tale from Old Russia

by Mary Hoffman, Marie Cameron

A retelling of a classic Russian fairy tale that tells the story of Katya, a feisty seven-year-old who intervenes in a dispute between her father Ivan and brother Dmitri over the ownership rights to a newborn foal.

Genres: Picture Books, Russia, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Geography

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

See also works published under Mary Lassiter

Mary Hoffman is a bestselling British author and reviewer, born in 1945. She is a true enthusiast of Italy and spends a lot of her time there, which shows in her Stravaganza novels: a series currently in publication. In total, she has written over 80 books, including the aforementioned Stravaganza series and the bestselling picture book, Amazing Grace. Mary is also the editor of a review magazine Armadillo for kids.

Watch the book trailer for David, Mary Hoffman's most recent novel

Reviews

[Elfdart]

this story is about a girl who uses her head to help out her father who gets himself in trouble over a donkey. a man gave katya’s father a horse and that horse had a baby with the father’s mare, so the guy who first gave the horse wanted the foal, so he took the case to the tsar. the king gives out a riddle to the two men and says whoever answers the riddle gets the foal. the riddle is ‘what is the fastest thing in the world, what is the fattest thing in the world, what is the softest thing in the world and what is the most precious?’ the other guys asks a neighbour who owes him some money and the father asks katya. i won’t tell you the answer but i’ll say that katya won. the tsar was interested in these answers and asked the father who told them to him, to which he replied his daughter. so the king asked the father to bring katya to him, but he said that ‘she must come neither on horseback nor on foot, neither naked nor dressed and neither bringing a present nor empty handed.’ so she goes to him, and at the end of the book he marries her because she was the most clever person in the kingdom.
this was a nice story based on an old russian folktale. the pictures are beautiful and colourful with nice traditional, colourful borders surrounding them. i first heard this story in grade 3 or 4 and it was one of those that i remembered to this day. it’s one of those odd books you’ll find where the girl gets the guy because of her brain, not her beauty. a beautiful story. i recommend.

[Tammy]

This review is for the illustration, not the story. It is the standard predictable princess story (for a good princess story, see "The Paperbag Princess"). Now for the illustrations. These were done by Marie Cameron, fine artist and dear friend. Marie's illustrations for this story are so lovely and meticulously done. She researched the motifs and borders of the paintings by looking at textiles and Russian folklore themes. She described how each page is a separate painting and how it was all put together to make this book.

[Dolly]

This is a wonderful Russian fairy tale that depicts a wise and clever young girl who solves complicated puzzles by the Tsar and helps settle a dispute between her father and her uncle.

The book has gorgeous illustrations and an engaging narrative that we really enjoyed. I also liked the author's note at the end that describes the research she did as well as other sources and variations of this story. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

[Becca Holcomb]

This is a unique book about a Russian family trying to solve an issue with a farm animal. I would use this book as a mulitcultral book and highlight the Russian culture. They use different language when refering to people, like a tsar, in this story.

[Laura]

I read this to my Pre-K class and I was sure it would be too long and involved for them to keep up but it wasn't! They loved it and asked questions about the few new vocabulary words they heard that were related to the animals in the book and Russia in general.

[Jean-Marie]

This story with its colorful illustrations starts off strong with an interesting story about two brothers going before the Tsar to settle a dispute. Unfortunately, it doesn't end as well. I do not feel comfortable recommending a book where the 7-year-old heroine quickly grows up (in one page) to marry the Tsar as her (read: his) prize. He could have funded her education or hired her as a consultant. Unless you want to discuss grooming child brides for creepy old men, I suggest you pass on this one. Even my 11-year-old son was not amused by this weird, unnecessary ending.

The Tsar on 7-year-old Katya who figured out the solution to his riddle: "Only in my kingdom could such a clever little girl be found!" he declared.

Then on the very next page: "As for Katya, she became a great favorite of the Tsar's and when she was grown up, she married him and became Tsarina of all of Russia, because she was the only woman in the kingdom clever enough for him."

[Marsha]

The barebone elements of this story are familiar and common to tales of this sort. I recall another tale in which the ruling monarch commanded a man to grow a pumpkin inside of a jug, among other things, and the man turned to his wise wife to solve the problem.

This story is about two feuding brothers and the mischievous tsar who resolves to play a trick on both of them (possibly as a punishment for wasting his time on a trivial dispute). As is commonly found in such tales, a clever girl easily solves the tsar’s riddles and passes his test. The ending is typical too but I have to confess it was wholly unexpected to me.

The whole tale is accompanied by pictures both realistic and slightly fantastical. Houses are piled up in the background like stacked bales of hay, defying the laws of perspective. People, scenery and backgrounds are colorful and lively while words and pictures are bound in ornate frames. This makes for a feast of visual splendor as well as another tale of a smart female outwitting a cunning ruler. Girls will adore this story and boys may like it too. Let it give them an appreciation for smart women.

[Amanda Andrews]

This is a fairy tale that takes place in Russia. The king makes two men solve a riddle, which one's daughter solves. The king is amazed and wants to meet the clever girl. He marries her because she is clever and has a sense of humor, which he also has.

[Shelli]

An old oral Russian Fairy Tale of a prankster Tsar and a clever farm girl who is able to match his sinister game of wits. The illustrations are filled with tradition Russian art and quite lovely. The narrative is engaging and entertaining; a nice read aloud to share with young children.

[Michael Earp]

A nice fairy tale where the girl outshines all the men and adults.

[Jamie Huang]

....

[Amy]

Lovely pictures. Katya is so clever I find her a little confusing.

[Joy Gerbode]

This is a very beautifully illustrated edition of an old fairy tale, about a clever girl who was able to solve the tsar's riddles, and thus gain his favor. Cute story.

[Lisa]

The illustrations are wonderful. The story is good, but does she really have to grow up and marry the tsar to live happily ever after? Traditional it may be, but it has no relation to the rest of the story and could easily have been left out of the retelling.

[Josiah]

Plot: A
Writing: A
Vocabulary: B
Illustrations: A
Level: Easy
Rating: G
Worldview: The small, the poor, the weak may be wise beyond their station.

[Jessica]

A stallion and a mare have a foal, and two Russian brothers argue about who the foal belongs to because they each own one of the horses. They take their case to the tsar, who tells them a riddle and whoever solves it may have the foal. Ivan's daughter Katya is very clever and solves the riddle and then another one given by the tsar. She and her father become rich and Katya grows up to marry the tsar because she is the only one clever enough for him.