The Magic Nesting Doll

by Jacqueline K. Ogburn, Laurel Long (Illustrator)

Katya's grandmother took a little matryoshka, a nesting doll, out of a small box. "If your need is great, open the doll and help will come. But you may only do so three times. After that the magic will be gone." A wicked spell has changed a handsome young prince to a pale glassy figure made of "living ice," and his kingdom to a frozen landscape of night without moon, darkness without dawn. Katya knows that it's up to her to rescue the prince and undo the evil spell that has banished the sun. Armed with only the magic nesting doll and her own valiant heart, she is determined to succeed. But will the combined effort of her courage and the mysterious nesting doll be strong enough to prevail? Laurel Long 's radiant paintings and Jacqueline K. Ogburn 's enchanting original tale were inspired by Russian folk art and stories. This talented duo has created a modern classic that honors its folklore heritage while depicting a world in which a girl can be anything, including a hero.

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Russia, Fiction, Magic

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2000

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacqueline Ogburn’s fairytale, along with Laurel Long’s exquisitely beautiful illustrations, tells the story of a matryoshka whose magical powers help a young peasant girl overcome a dark spell cast by an evil sorcerer.

Little girls would enjoy this picture book! Thanks to my GR friend Debbie for calling my attention to this enjoyable book. :)

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully detailed Russian-inspired illustrations really make this book special. They are in a style that will appeal to fans of Hyman or Craft, although I don't think they are quite as top notch (or Long's best work). I did find the use of a limited color palette (primarily blue and red, with supporting greens and yellows with transitional brown) very interesting and artistic, especially the way they shift in dominance as the heroine prevails over the cursed winter.

The story, which combines a number of traditional elements, was nice but lacked something. The fact that the first two of the three magic aides basically did nothing to further the girl's efforts seemed weak. I understand why the magical number three was needed, but it would have been stronger had there been more sense of progress, or if the heroine had needed to use her wits or something rather than just the magic doll.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be my new favorite fairy tale, and it’s enhanced by lush and gorgeous illustrations. I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite recently not being in the mood to read fairy or folk tales. This book is an amazing gem.

I love the strong and kind and giving woman protagonist, Katya, and though her grandmother is in only a short part of the story, I liked her too. I love the animals, including a good, vs. more commonly evil, fairy tale wolf character. How refreshing!

There is one character, the main villain, I’d have found very frightening as a preschooler and maybe in my earliest school years too, but I’d have still loved the tale.

This is a beautiful book and would make a wonderful gift for girls age 4 or 5 to 9 or even 10 or 11.

There are many full page illustrations and they’re just wonderful. They’re intricate and are really special. Some looked like stained glass to me and I love that look. They have a very Russian feel about them. The nesting doll (living) interiors are all so wonderful. There are such a rich variety of colors. The story is fine on its own but the pictures make it soar.

This is a perfect fairy tale for readers looking for a story where the woman is allowed to be the heroine.

I adore the last page.

This would be an appropriate book for humane education.

I might edit this review some day. For now, it’s one of those books I am such a fan of that I can’t write a worthy review.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't you just love it when life hands you a sweet, unexpected gift!? As I wearily set about entering a new stack of books into our database for the high school ESL program, I could hardly believe my eyes when I pulled out "The Magic Nesting Doll"! I've been wanting to read this for ages and the county library doesn't have a copy. I never would have thought it would fall into my hands at the high school, but I'm ever so glad. It's a treasure!

Ogburn's gorgeously told original folktale has all the markings of a classic, with the sweet and resourceful heroine Katya setting out after her grandmother's death armed only with her good heart, wise mind, and the magic matryoshka (nesting doll) her grandmother had given her. When Katya is in great need, she may open the doll and call upon its magic for help, but she may only do so three times. Though Katya faces hunger and cold, she fights through it until she finds something that she cannot seem to conquer on her own: the plight of a great city in which the young tsarevitch is under a spell keeping him frozen, and the city in perpetual night and winter. Katya vows to do what she can, but when she is imprisoned, it seems only the nesting doll can help her.

I absolutely love the magic of the matryoshka characters. Without giving too much away, they take the form of wild animals and I love how they are portrayed as both strong and gentle, mirroring Katya's self. The ending is absolutely beautiful, and should satisfy both those who long for traditional fairytale style, pretty girls and handsome princes, and happy ever afters, as well as those who wish for a strong and wise heroine.

Laurel Long's illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! I *love* her style. For me, it is ultimate perfection for fairytales. Her girls are beautiful without being perfect, and have the most soulful expressions. The animals are exquisite (the illustration of the wolf melted my heart with its gentle expression despite its strong frame) and everything else from the clothing to the setting to the lovely borders transport me to another realm. Bliss!

I recommend this wholeheartedly to all fans of folk- and fairytales!

[Jenni Arndt · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter has become pretty well-known at her school for picking out the most elusive, odd looking library books that other kids never take a second glance at. While the other kids are bring home The Magic School Bus, Dr. Seuss, and Dora The Explorer, Sloane always brings home more artsy titles, and I have to admit I am pretty proud of that. But in the case of The Magic Nesting Doll it meant that I had to read it to her, word for word, and there are a lot of words! Here is an example of a page of this book:

Pages like this made for a really long bed time story! While I did enjoy the story quite a bit, the kids started to wane somewhere around the 25% mark and get pretty antsy. I do think that the story could have been shortened quite a bit, as it was pretty repetitive and was full of Katja going back and forth. Because of the kids losing interest in it pretty early on I have to say that it was an unsuccessful book in our home.

One thing that can not be overlooked in this story is the wonderful illustrations. They're not just illustrations but they are paintings and the detail in each and every one is absolutely breathtaking. When the kids minds started to wander we would take time to stare at the paintings and talk about the details we saw that stood out to us and it reigned their attention back in.

This is a very pretty book and a plot feels very fairytale-esque. Instead of having a sleeping beauty who needs to be brought back to life, we have a frozen prince. It felt to me as if this book was a high fantasy children's book, with all the fleshing out of details and the epic quest that Katja went on. I think there are people who will love this book, but make sure your child is a bit older when you read it to them. It's very long and very detailed, so it's definitely not for the wondering mind of a toddler!

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say that Russians have a taste for reverse Sleeping Beauty, where the girl kisses the prince and awakens him from the spell. The other story I read like this was the story of Fenist the Falcon, also Russian. The story is okay and I like that there are Russian elements to the story like the vizier, the Tsarevitch and the matryoshka doll. The illustrations are breathtaking with such an air of mother Russia that I haven't found in any other Russian children's book.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an original fairy tale based on Russian folktales, and a Russian toy, and it is adorable. It reminds me a lot of the Little Goose Girl, and I don't know how, but it feels authentic and old.

Library copy

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely lovely tale of a nesting doll, magical beings, and a young woman saving a prince, kind of like a reverse Sleeping Beauty. Purely magical!

[Shifty Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love how princesses save princes in Russian fairytales. So refreshing. The illustrations in this one were stunning.

[Legendary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art was beautiful

[♥♣Mary♦♠ If She So Pleases · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very beautiful addition to any collection.
✨✨✨✨✨

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story, even better illustrations. Similar to Snow White in that there is a prince asleep under the spell, but this time it's the gal who does the waking.

[Magda · Rating 3 out of 5]

What she said, including "I'm just here for the pick-chers."

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is visually stunning and the story is very sweet. I'd love to read a longer version of it. It reminded me of a sort of genderswapped Sleeping Beauty.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazingly beautiful illustrations. The story does not quite live up to the pictures. It's a bit too modern, with PETA overtones.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katya's grandmother gives her a russian nesting doll that will grant her three wishes. Katya goes out into the world alone and is often tempted to use her wishes but manages to scrape by until she wanders into a cursed city that is trapped in a perpetual winter. Their king is trapped in ice and held prisoner by an evil magician. When Katya says that she can break the spell the magician throws her into the dungeon. At last it is time to use her wishes. As Katya opens each doll an animal appears to do her bidding. First a bear uses his roar to break through the snow, second a fox howls to chase the clouds from the sky, and third, a pheonix calls back the sun to warm the land. Each step warms the prince and freezes the magician, but when all of her wishes are spent, the prince is still sleeping with a frozen heart. Katya has fallen in love with him and bestows a kiss on his lips before she sets off to find a way to free him--but her kiss breaks the final spell. They marry and live happily together, as do the subjects of their kingdom.

[Rodopa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairy tale written in the 1990's but in the style of Grimm/old Russian tales. Somewhat of a mirror image of Sleeping Beauty - a spell is cast over a prince who falls into a deep sleep while turning to ice. A peasant girl uses magic nesting dolls to slowly break the spell, and slowly fall in love. The prince can finally be woken up with a kiss by someone who truly loves him...etc. The story could use some more drama and high/lows to be even more effective as it does have very "flat" parts, especially the ending, but it is great effort for the author to come up with a fairy tale.

Original in the role reversal.

Illustrations are gorgeous in an old Russian style.

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of text, more like an illustrated short story. A young lady named Katya is gifted a magic nesting doll by her dying grandmother. An evil vizier casts a spell on the Tsarevitch (Prince) which sends him to sleep and sends the kingdom into an endless snowy night. Katya uses her magic nesting doll and the avatars it conjures to save herself and the kingdom and wakes the Tsarevitch with a kiss.

The art is beautiful. I like that the female character is the hero and the prince is the sleeping beauty.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I need to look into Russian fairy tales, this one was interesting. And I 'm thinking of reading a book based on this. ( I think, the blurb said something about nesting dolls so, yeah. Okay it probably isn't but I still want to read it.)
Anyway beautiful illustrations, reminds me of Byzantine art and a delightful story. I will probably read this again someday. (or maybe a more adult version.)

[Ulana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a young lady named Katya who lived with her grandmother. Her grandmother gave her a nesting doll and told her to open it only if her need is great. Her grandmother passed away. Katya left. She found out about a wicked spell on the kingdom with the prince that was turned into living ice. She wanted to save him and his kingdom using her nesting dolls. The illustrations are beautiful in this children's book.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful children's book with gorgeous illustrations. Katya is a young woman in Tsarist Russia who is given a magic nesting doll by her dying grandmother. When she hears the prince has been changed into a man of ice, she goes to try to help him. What follows is a magical tale where in a reversal of classic fairy tales the damsel saves the prince and the kingdom in turn. The story is well-written, and the art is perfect.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairytale in the old tradition. Wonderful. The pictures complemented it nicely. My one problem was that the author said Katya twisted off the doll’s tops. I was once admonished by a maker of nesting dolls for doing that very thing. The friction harms the wood. Nesting dolls should always be pulled apart and pushed together.

[Story · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. The illustrations are definitely my favorite part. The story has such a fairy tale vibe but I love that it's not just a predictable classic. I read this when I was younger(4 or 5 years old) and I don't think I totally understood it but now, reading it with my sister who is six years old(almost 7) we both really enjoyed it. I definitely recommend this one.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn’t say this is our favorite fairytale, but this is written so well and the illustrations are breathtaking. Fairytales tend to be either too long or too short, but this one felt like the perfect length to hold my 6 year olds attention.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good rendition of a Russian folktale, filled with detailed filled illustrations evocative of the Russian royal court as well as the wild forests. Good use of repetition and a classic tale of a girl saving her prince.

[a ☕︎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

i found the pictures quite ugly, which made this a bit of a fail for me. the peasant girl’s face is like a static madonna on every page. the story itself is nothing much: a girl seeks the aid of a bear, a wolf, and a firebird in order to free the tsarevich and country from a malicious spell.

[Katrina Lybbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book! I love collecting matryoshka's and I love firebirds, so this story drew me in with those elements immediately. The illustrations are so wonderful I could look at them for hours.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are very beautiful in this enchanting story about a peasant girl who attempts to break a spell with a magic nesting doll.

[Carley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it! I could relate to much of the writing angst and decisions about stepping away from the novel writing. Not sure I’d recommend it for non-writers though.

[Caitlyn Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful read for older elementary grade levels and includes great characters, illustrations, and story line.