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Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll
A memorable Russian fairy tale to entrance and enchant
Ruth Brown's stunning illustrations accompany an extraordinary fairy tale about a little girl who, with the advice of her wise doll, escapes a truly terrifying witch and her slimy, child-gobbling toads. When Too Nice's evil sisters, Horrid and Very Horrid, force her to kidnap the witch Baba Yaga's jeweled toad, Baba Yaga devises a series of impossible tests for the little girl. If Too Nice passes them, she gets the toad, but if she doesn't -- the toad gets her Too Nice's only companion through the ordeal is the wise doll in her pocket, a gift from her mother, whose help leads to the miraculous completion of the tasks. And as gifts beget gifts, Too Nice gets the toad and the two evil sisters get theirs
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 23, 1997
54 people want to read
About the author
Hiawyn Oram
190 books28 followersHiawyn Oram is a very successful author of children's books in Britain. Her books include the popular Not-So-Grizzly Bear Stories, the Animal Heroes series, and Mona the Vampire. She lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 10, 2018
As a story and in and of itself, I very much enjoy Hiawyn Oram's Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll. Too-Nice's doll (a with a living and active spirit imbued memento of her deceased mother) behaves in many ways like a benevolent and much more non demanding Rumpelstlizchen or perhaps Cinderella's tame mice and birds, physically helping the heroine complete the three tasks (the magical number three again) set by Baba Yaga, and Too-Nice then repays the doll's services by listening to and acting on her wise council (not asking for a toad for Horrid and Very-Horrid, but telling Baba Yaga that she has come to be frightened by her, as that is Baba Yaga's vocation, thereby much impressing and cheering Baba Yaga and with Too-Nice still receiving as a reward what she had originally planned to ask for, two of Baba Yaga's toads).
That Too-Nice might, in fact, actually be simply the non nastily temperamental and non troublesome manifestation of the same little girl (and that the toads which gobble up Horrid and Very-Horrid are thus simply ridding the former of her not so nice and not so stellar personality traits, leaving a girl who is neither too nice nor too horrid but just right) is ingenious and interesting (but I am not so sure I would have easily recognised this somewhat hidden potential meaning of Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll without Ruth Brown's accompanying illustrations which clearly show that the three little girls are mirror images of one another and thus either triplets or much more likely three distinct personality types of one and the same). In fact, the illustrations provide not only a successful and evocative mirror and expansion of Hiawyn Oram's narrative, Ruth Brown's pictorial offerings also clearly demonstrate that this Baba Yaga is most definitely more ambiguous than simply and demonically evil, with both nurturing and frightening qualities, somewhat witch-like perhaps, but not really the traditional evil and demonic witch of culture and folklore. For while she is definitely frightening, this Baba Yaga is actually described and depicted (by both text and image) as much more akin to the ambiguous forest mother and Frau Holle archetypes of Russian and European culture and lore, both positive and negative, a harsh and potentially even dangerous examiner, but also a tester who, if her tasks are completed with satisfaction and the right questions are asked, will not hesitate to offer deserved and useful rewards.
Now as much as I do enjoy and appreciate both Hiawyn Oram's text and Ruth Brown accompanying images, I cannot really consider ranking Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll with more than three stars (although as a story it is or would be definitely be worth closer to four or perhaps even five stars). For considering that this is a retelling of a traditional Russian folk tale (likely the well-known Vasilisa the Beautiful, where the heroine Vasilisa also has her deceased mother's treasured wooden doll and and is sent by her evil and nasty stepmother to fetch light from Baba Yaga's hut, encountering similar tasks and similar questions as are encountered by Too-Nice in Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll), I simply do neither understand nor even accept that there has not been an author's note included (not only would such an author's note increase the academic and folkloric value of Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll, but frankly I consider the fact that the author has chosen not to include any kind of acknowledgment of her sources as rather an insult to both Russian folklore in general and to Alexander Afanasyev, who is credited with having first collected and published the tale of Vasilisa the Beautiful).
That Too-Nice might, in fact, actually be simply the non nastily temperamental and non troublesome manifestation of the same little girl (and that the toads which gobble up Horrid and Very-Horrid are thus simply ridding the former of her not so nice and not so stellar personality traits, leaving a girl who is neither too nice nor too horrid but just right) is ingenious and interesting (but I am not so sure I would have easily recognised this somewhat hidden potential meaning of Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll without Ruth Brown's accompanying illustrations which clearly show that the three little girls are mirror images of one another and thus either triplets or much more likely three distinct personality types of one and the same). In fact, the illustrations provide not only a successful and evocative mirror and expansion of Hiawyn Oram's narrative, Ruth Brown's pictorial offerings also clearly demonstrate that this Baba Yaga is most definitely more ambiguous than simply and demonically evil, with both nurturing and frightening qualities, somewhat witch-like perhaps, but not really the traditional evil and demonic witch of culture and folklore. For while she is definitely frightening, this Baba Yaga is actually described and depicted (by both text and image) as much more akin to the ambiguous forest mother and Frau Holle archetypes of Russian and European culture and lore, both positive and negative, a harsh and potentially even dangerous examiner, but also a tester who, if her tasks are completed with satisfaction and the right questions are asked, will not hesitate to offer deserved and useful rewards.
Now as much as I do enjoy and appreciate both Hiawyn Oram's text and Ruth Brown accompanying images, I cannot really consider ranking Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll with more than three stars (although as a story it is or would be definitely be worth closer to four or perhaps even five stars). For considering that this is a retelling of a traditional Russian folk tale (likely the well-known Vasilisa the Beautiful, where the heroine Vasilisa also has her deceased mother's treasured wooden doll and and is sent by her evil and nasty stepmother to fetch light from Baba Yaga's hut, encountering similar tasks and similar questions as are encountered by Too-Nice in Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll), I simply do neither understand nor even accept that there has not been an author's note included (not only would such an author's note increase the academic and folkloric value of Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll, but frankly I consider the fact that the author has chosen not to include any kind of acknowledgment of her sources as rather an insult to both Russian folklore in general and to Alexander Afanasyev, who is credited with having first collected and published the tale of Vasilisa the Beautiful).
August 26, 2016
3.5 stars
I have read many Russian folktales during my time, but I rarely read Russian folktales that involved the legendary fictional figure, Baba Yaga. So, when found a children’s book that starred Baba Yaga called “Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll” by Hiawyn Oram along with illustrations by Ruth Brown, while I was impressed that the illustrations were well done and the characters Baba Yaga and the wise doll were interesting, the story kind of felt a bit flat for me.
The book starts off with Baba Yaga looking into her many ways mirror to take a look at three girls who are named Horrid, Very Horrid and Too Nice. Horrid and Very Horrid always made fun of Too Nice and one day, they would not let Too Nice play with them and threw her out of the house. The only way that Too Nice can come back inside the house is if she goes to Baba Yaga’s house and gets one of her toads that wear a jeweled jacket and a diamond collar. Luckily, Too Nice has a wise doll that was a gift from her mother and the wise doll would give Too Nice some good advice to survive in the world. When Too Nice finally comes to Baba Yaga’s house, Baba Yaga makes Too Nice do various tasks and if Too Nice passes her tasks, then Baba Yaga will give Too Nice anything she wants. But if Too Nice fails the tasks, then Baba Yaga will feed Too Nice to her toads and her black cauldron!
Can Too Nice pass Baba Yaga’s tests?
Read this book to find out!
Hiawyn Oram has done a good job at portraying Baba Yaga as this frightening yet reasonable character who does some horrifying stuff such as feeding people to her toads and black cauldron, but is willing to give Too Nice a chance to obtain her toads as long as Too Nice performs her tasks well. I also loved the way that Hiawyn Oram portrayed the wise doll as the wise doll was the most interesting part of the story, next to Baba Yaga herself and I loved the way that the wise doll helped Too Nice by making its shadow do most of the tasks set out by Baba Yaga which gives the story a mysterious and creative edge. Ruth Brown’s artwork is truly gorgeous, especially of the images of Baba Yaga, her toads and her black cauldron. I loved the way that Baba Yaga was drawn as having greenish skin and wild black hair that makes her look so frightening. I also loved the fact that her toads were drawn with jeweled jackets and diamond necklaces as it makes them look regal and yet since they belong to Baba Yaga, we know that they are truly revolting.
The reason why I gave this book a three and a half star rating was because even though the illustrations were gorgeous, the story felt a bit flat because the characters were not develop enough where I was interested in them and there were many plot holes in this story that made me scratch my head a bit about how one situation transitioned to another situation. For example, I was puzzled about why Baba Yaga wanted to mess with Too Nice and her sisters rather than some other random person and why the sisters wanted Too Nice to get a toad from Baba Yaga in the first place.
Overall, while “Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll” had interesting characters in both Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll and the illustrations were gorgeous to look at, the story felt a little flat due to the lack of characterization of Too Nice and her sisters and the many plot holes in the story. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since smaller children might be frightened of Baba Yaga and her toads.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
November 10, 2021
One little girl, a magic doll and some talking animals outwit the evil child-munching witch Baba Yaga.
The beautiful illustrations by Ruth Brown, give us a delightful take on this seemingly dark tale, but with a happy ending. Many fairytale tropes feature here, including magic dolls, power of kindness paid forward, and witches. This is a great intro to Russian Folktales, particularly in that Baba Yaga, while the antagonist of most of her stories, may not be the villain here, letting kids decide what is right and wrong and who is good or bad.
The beautiful illustrations by Ruth Brown, give us a delightful take on this seemingly dark tale, but with a happy ending. Many fairytale tropes feature here, including magic dolls, power of kindness paid forward, and witches. This is a great intro to Russian Folktales, particularly in that Baba Yaga, while the antagonist of most of her stories, may not be the villain here, letting kids decide what is right and wrong and who is good or bad.
December 15, 2016
Dec 2016 picture-book club Children's Books group. As I said there:
I pretty much agree with what you-all have already said about this. Thank you for prompting me to look at the cover more carefully. I have to give it an extra star though, because the art of Ruth Brown reminds me of that of Trina Schart Hyman, so much so that I adore it even more than I admire it. Thank you, voters, for choosing this, as I would never have seen it otherwise, but now I have a new illustrator to follow.
I pretty much agree with what you-all have already said about this. Thank you for prompting me to look at the cover more carefully. I have to give it an extra star though, because the art of Ruth Brown reminds me of that of Trina Schart Hyman, so much so that I adore it even more than I admire it. Thank you, voters, for choosing this, as I would never have seen it otherwise, but now I have a new illustrator to follow.
August 27, 2021
Mixed feelings. I really loved Ruth Brown’s art, but found Hiawyn Oram’s retelling edited to the point of almost non-coherence, a bit awkward and dull.
December 24, 2016
We've recently discovered the various Baba Yaga stories available from our local library system and we've read several so far, including Baba Yaga: A Russian Folktale, Babushka Baba Yaga, and Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave.
This is an interesting tale that shows a young girl surviving Baba Yaga's impossible challenges with the help of her doll. The illustrations were very detailed and I loved the picture on the front cover.
The witch was very scary looking and might be too scary for younger children. The different children, 'Too Nice Child,' 'Horrid Child,' and 'Very Horrid Child' were either triplets or different faces/personalities/moods of the same child. For us, it wasn't completely clear, but we still liked the tale.
We read a similar version of the story, Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave by Marianna Mayer and we liked that story better, but overall, they were both entertaining and fun to read aloud. We enjoyed reading this story together and will look for more of these entertaining Russian tales at our local library.
This book was selected as one of the books for the December 2016- Toy Stories discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This is an interesting tale that shows a young girl surviving Baba Yaga's impossible challenges with the help of her doll. The illustrations were very detailed and I loved the picture on the front cover.
The witch was very scary looking and might be too scary for younger children. The different children, 'Too Nice Child,' 'Horrid Child,' and 'Very Horrid Child' were either triplets or different faces/personalities/moods of the same child. For us, it wasn't completely clear, but we still liked the tale.
We read a similar version of the story, Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave by Marianna Mayer and we liked that story better, but overall, they were both entertaining and fun to read aloud. We enjoyed reading this story together and will look for more of these entertaining Russian tales at our local library.
This book was selected as one of the books for the December 2016- Toy Stories discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
May 13, 2015
The title gives you a foretaste of who the central figures are in this old tale about a witch of classic legend. Baba Yaga poses an intriguing individual in her stern yet oddly appealing appearance. A figure of towering menace, she has her own sense of fair play and when a little girl beats her at her own game, she proves as generous as she is cruel.
But of course this story is about the little girl Too Nice and her doll, as shown by the cover illustration. It’s slightly disappointing because the little girl is one of those put-upon placid angels who are victims of circumstances and have hardly any personalities of their own. She wins out only because of help from beyond the grave and a Chatty Cathy-type doll.
However, the illustrations are gorgeous, with color and life given to the oddly clothed witch and her lively familiars. Light and shadow, line and form are put to clever use as we see the witch bringing an inky darkness with her wherever she goes and how a little doll can perform the tasks of a multitude. The cover illustration also holds a surprise, one that reveals itself only upon careful scrutiny and a close second look.
But of course this story is about the little girl Too Nice and her doll, as shown by the cover illustration. It’s slightly disappointing because the little girl is one of those put-upon placid angels who are victims of circumstances and have hardly any personalities of their own. She wins out only because of help from beyond the grave and a Chatty Cathy-type doll.
However, the illustrations are gorgeous, with color and life given to the oddly clothed witch and her lively familiars. Light and shadow, line and form are put to clever use as we see the witch bringing an inky darkness with her wherever she goes and how a little doll can perform the tasks of a multitude. The cover illustration also holds a surprise, one that reveals itself only upon careful scrutiny and a close second look.
August 24, 2012
Baba Yaga is a popular character in Russian folk tales. In this story, a nice child is challenged by two horrid children to visit Baba Yaga in the forest and bring back one of her evil, diamond wearing toads. The nice child is scared but has a wise, magical doll from her deceased mother and with the doll's help the nice child impresses Baba Yaga. Like other traditional tales, the division of good and evil is black and white and the naughty children are punished for their horrid behaviors.
Brown's illustrations are dark, mysterious, and detailed...ideal for holding the reader's interest and attention throughout the story. I would recommend this book for lovers of folktales.
Brown's illustrations are dark, mysterious, and detailed...ideal for holding the reader's interest and attention throughout the story. I would recommend this book for lovers of folktales.
December 11, 2016
I have read several Baba Yaga stories over the years, but I had not heard of this one until one of my GoodReads groups decided to read it. I really enjoyed this story and Ruth Brown's illustrations, which were a perfect match for the story. I was intrigued by Penny's comment that there are not 3 children--Too Nice, Horrid, and Very Horrid--but only one child, apparently with a temper. And it is obvious from the beginning, when Baba Yaga is looking at the child in her crystal ball, that she has plans for her. The cauldron with a face was a nice, creepy touch.
January 11, 2017
A fun story of Too Nice's adventures as she and her wise doll visit Baba Yaga's house. As a young child, the illustrations in this book may have been a bit frightening to me.
And I have one small quibble...at the end, Too Nice stops being "too nice" and becomes Just About Right. I know many people do/will disagree with me but I don't like this...I don't think that you can be "too nice"...unless you are, in some way, damaging yourself through your actions. I dislike the message that the very ending sends.
And I have one small quibble...at the end, Too Nice stops being "too nice" and becomes Just About Right. I know many people do/will disagree with me but I don't like this...I don't think that you can be "too nice"...unless you are, in some way, damaging yourself through your actions. I dislike the message that the very ending sends.
October 15, 2024
I really liked reading this book! While it was required for my class it actually made me feel like I was there experiencing it. I thoroughly enjoyed the concept of the book and how I feel like I grew up hearing this story. These kinds of books help us understand history and culture and how countries share folktales. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will continue to share how much I loved this book.
December 2, 2018
I really wish Oram had used the characters' names, or made up new ones. Other than that, I really liked this version of Vasilisa the Fair. The illustrations are great, I love the spread of Izbushka running toward Too Nice with Baba Yaga hanging out of the chimney and the toads sitting on the peaks of the roof. The illustrations really make this book for me.
September 23, 2025
This book was definitley interesting. I enjoyed it for sure, but it was strange. I enjoyed the overall story where the bullying sibilings get eaten and the the nice toad is set free but Baba Yaga is depicted really scarily. I did enjoy this book however, I enjoyed the folktale aspect of it and its overall vibe. This was a good book.
January 9, 2019
The re-telling in this one is charming, but what really stands out are the illustrations. Baba Yaga is a fabulous goth queen and I love her, and I love the frogs in their very convincing vests, and everything about this is lush and wonderful and very much a world I would be willing to live in.
March 15, 2018
This book has dark illustrations and a not very kind Baba Yaga. This is a retelling of a traditional Russian fairy tale.
May 2, 2018
A great story with wonderful illustrations. I love the Toads!
August 17, 2019
Incredible art an Inspiration! A little too frightening for my 2 year old but I loved it!
November 26, 2016
Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll
Once there was a witch called Baba Yaga.
"You are truly terrifying," her trusty toads told her.
"I hope so," said Baba Yaga. "That's what I'm here for!"
If the wonderful illustration of Baba Yaga on the first page hadn't completely hooked me, these first three lines would, and the retelling somehow manages to maintain this lovely light touch to the final page. I have to confess to misgivings about this book - the illustrations I'd initially found online seemed very dark and frightening but although I'm not sure my three-year-old grand-twins are quite ready for this one yet, I think most or many five-year-olds would enjoy it (but maybe not at bedtime). It's worth mentioning also that Too Nice (the child in the story) never looks frightened, even when ...Baba Yaga's eyes glowed like hot coals.
When Too Nice is pushed out into the forest by her horrid sisters she is ....all alone, except for her one dearest possession. It was a doll, given to her by her mother before she died.
"Now what?" Too Nice asked the Doll. "It's unbearable to stay and it's unbearable to go."
"No one can stay and go at the same time," says the Doll.
"put me in your pocket, listen to my advice whenever I have any, and let's be off."
As in all good folk tales and fairy stories there's surely a lesson for life in the wise doll's words.
I was slightly concerned about the mention of Too Nice's mother's death in the quote above. Yes, I know mothers do die, I know also that we can't protect them from life and death forever, but young children can internalize the possibility of such events and suffer such worries silently. I know I did - Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel - Bambi! - Walt Disney has much to answer for. Still, the mother's death is not dwelt on and in some ways, as the story progresses, it's almost as if the wise doll is speaking the mother's words.
The wise doll is an effective anchor, providing not only wisdom but security - after the first task set for Too Nice by Baba Yaga the reader knows that everything will be all right in the end, and so it is, even though Too Nice almost gives up before each of the three tasks is completed.
I love the fact that Too Nice earns Baba Yaga's respect and a gift in return for all her (and the wise doll's) hard work, and that the last image of the witch we're left with is quite the reverse of scary. She wasn't such a bad witch after all.
The little twist at the end was unexpected and I won't spoil it, but it seems to me like another very practical lesson for life.
All in all a wonderful marriage of sensitive story-retelling and illustration.
Edited to add that I posted the above, went out to take the lovely dog for walk and had a moment of revelation. In this version of the story the illustration of the three children seems to suggest that they're all different aspects of the same child.
I missed the secret on the front cover too, even though I'd wondered at the lack of detail before starting to read. A beautifully thought out book with lots to wonder at.
March 25, 2009
I read this as a child and was terrified by it, but at the same time strangely fascinated. Mum had to take it away from me to stop me from at the pictures on purpose to scare myself and then having nightmares.
January 12, 2011
This is one of my all time favorite children's books. Everyone (even without children) should own it.
August 17, 2016
Just the right amount of creepy!
April 17, 2017
One of the versions of this tale that's truer to the original intent, I think. Baba Yaga isn't as sinister and the tale isn't as morbid, yet the message is clear and empowering.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews