The Black Geese: A Baba Yaga Story From Russia

by Alison Lurie (Retold by), Jessica Souhami (Illustrator)

Baba Yaga's black geese have taken Elena's baby brother! Now it's up to Elena to save him from the terrible witch who eats little children. But how can she?As she runs through the forest, looking for Baba Yaga's horrible hut, she helps three small animals in need. Each gives her a gift that seems small and insignificant -- yet gives magical assistance to Elena as she rescues her brother.

This charming retelling of a Baba Yaga story from Russian folklore, perfect for reading aloud, is sure to enchant children. The scary witch, the resourceful little girl, and the magical animals -- traditional elements of fairy tales from around the world -- come together here with bright, dynamic illustrations to create a new classic.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1999

About the author

Alison Stewart Lurie was an American novelist and academic. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her 1984 novel Foreign Affairs. Although better known as a novelist, she wrote many non-fiction books and articles, particularly on children's literature and the semiotics of dress.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watch your baby brother, mother directs as she and father leave for the market. Baba Yaga's black baby-stealing geese have been seen nearby. (With openings like this I always wonder if the parents are really hoping to get rid of their brats, or why leave them to get into trouble?)

Of course little Elena doesn't watch carefully enough, she wants to play with her friends. The geese steal the baby, big surprise. Luckily, Elena is a kind girl if not one with a long attention span and she is rewarded for helping various animals in peril.

The author's note says this is based partially on Aleksandr Afanasyev's "Magic Swan-Geese" with which I am unfamiliar, but it certainly has some heavy borrowing from other stories I do know, most obviously Petronella. And of course other Baba Yaga stories about brave girls. Although usually in the Russian stories I know the heroines are more obedient to their mothers...

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent enough retelling of a classic folk/fairy tale the moral of which is "do good deeds, and you will be rewarded." The cut-paper illustrations are unusual.

I could swear I've read a version of this where the villain is a giant or ogre, and NOT Baba Yaga, but can't think of the title.

Damn you, old age! Stealin' all my brain stuff . . .

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only an average retelling. Primitive pictures don't do the story justice.

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm all about Baba Yaga stories, and this one certainly satisfied.  A retelling of a classic Baba Yaga tale, Lurie and Souhami do a fantastic job of making this tale accessible to little ones.  This picturebook invokes classic fairy and folktale motifs, such as the power of three and talking animals.  The Black Geese overall make for an entertaining story rife with cultural symbols.

Review cross-listed here!

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good job, kiddo; home before your parents know you messed up

[Goshen PL Childrens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuties Storytime: Folktales and Fairytales

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elena must rescue her baby brother from Baba Yaga.

This is a picture book retelling of a classic Baba Yaga folktale, and Baba Yaga is at her fierce cannibal best. Elena is supposed to be watching her baby brother but neglects her duty, allowing him to be abducted by Baba Yaga's black geese that carry him off to her hut on chicken legs.

Following the geese, Elena encounters several animals that she stops to help. In return they give her a magical object that will help her in her time of need. Elena finds her brother and attempts to steal off with him, but Baba Yaga gives chase. Elena throws one item after the other over her shoulder, eventually thwarting the vengeful witch and returning home with her brother.

The illustrations are folksy paper collages.

[Marina Minina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is based on the same variant of tale about Baba Yaga as the previous one, Baba Yaga’s Geese. A girl is seeking her little brother who is taken away by Baba Yaga’s geese. Here children should compare the two stories and find the differences. For example, this tale is shorter; it has a squirrel who gives her walnut, different names of characters and so on. As for illustrations, they are awful, in my opinion. They are not authentic except some elements on the clothes of the main character, Elena.

[Megan (ReadingRover) · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you’re parents tell you to stay at home and watch your brother that’s what you should do or else Baba Yaga’s black geese will come and take him away. That’s exactly what happens to Elena’s brother when she leaves him unattended to play with her friends. This book is a classic retelling of the Baba Yaga story. Pretty standard. The illustrations are interesting layered paper collage which give the book a folkish feel.