Baboushka and the Three Kings

by Ruth Robbins, Nicolas Sidjakov (Illustrator)

Winner of the 1961 Caldecott Medal 

The Russian folktale about an old woman's endless search for the Christ child.

Genres: Picture Books, Christmas, Childrens, Folklore, Russia, Holiday, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Ruth Robbins is Professor of English Literature and head of the School of Cultural Studies and Humanities. Her work has focused on the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century, on autobiography, on literary theory and on particular writers such as Oscar Wilde and Arnold Bennett.

Ruth's research interests centre on the late-Victorian period in English literature, especially the literature of Decadence, and include the writings of Oscar Wilde, Arthur Symons and Vernon Lee - her book Pater to Forster, 1873-1924 (2003) deals with literature written in the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century period. Her recent book Oscar Wilde (2011) revisits her interests in the fin de siècle; additionally she is co-author of a book on the British Short Story (with Emma Liggins and Andrew Maunder, 2010).

She also has research interests in literary theory

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story set in Russia strongly reminds me of The Legend of Old Befana, an Italian folktale retold by Tomie dePaola. Although this book is a simplistic retelling that I'm sure children would enjoy, I personally prefer de Paola's retelling as it goes into greater detail.

The illustrations are unique in both books - The Legend of Old Befana is distinctly dePaola (I'm a fan of his!), whereas Nicholas Sidjakov's simple line drawings, enhanced with four colors, show the beauty of long ago Russia, earning the Caldecott Medal.

Music and verses for the song "Baboushka" for the musically-inclined are included at the back of this book.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

We really enjoyed this 1960's retelling of this well known folktale. I found the illustrations appealing although I must agree with my daughter, some faces are unusual! I did like the unusual style, the pale faded blue, orange, green and yellow was used effectively with blurry lines that look like a marker pen that has been well used, it's a definite 60's look. The end pages have some piano music and words that were actually quite good and not, as we expected just included for the sake of it. My daughter played it and it was a nice piece of music and a lovely addition to the book.

[Calista · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting choice to honor with the Caldecott Medal. The artwork is very minimal. There is some color. It does not touch me in any way, but leaves me indifferent. The story is a little more interesting. An old woman is invited to help look for a Baby in the cold by 3 kingly looking men who got lost - every year. She asks children each year if they have seen the baby and she leaves little gifts.

There is to much left unexplored for the kids. They wanted to know which baby she was looking for and what was happening. I told them, a good assumption is they are looking for the baby Jesus, but we really don’t know. That didn’t make sense to them either. They didn’t much care for this story. They both gave this 1 star.

[Annie ⚜️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Caldecott read. I found this story odd. She wanders around in the snow every year looking for the baby (the baby Jesus though it's never explicitly stated). I guess she leaves gifts for the kids (the way the three kings do) but that was not immediately clear to me as I thought her gift was for the baby. Maybe if you're better acquainted with the folk tale it makes more sense. I'm also not particularly a fan of this style of illustration personally though it is unique.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revised Review from 12/19/20:

Presented as a Christmas folktale from Russia, Baboushka and the Three Kings is an original story that tells of an old woman who, when the Three Kings stop at her humble cottage on their way to visit the Christ child, chooses not to accompany them on their journey. Regretting this decision almost instantly, Baboushka sets out to follow them the next day, only to find that she cannot overtake them, nor find the child...

Originally published in 1960, and awarded a Caldecott Medal for its illustrations in 1961, this Christmas picture-book is one I read back in 2010, and found quite interesting, despite my lack of appreciation for the artwork (see my original review below). The story reminded me of the Italian folktale concerning Old Befana, or the Dominican story of La Vieja Belen, and I assumed at the time that it was simply a Russian variant of a tale type found in multiple cultures. As someone who reads a great deal of folklore, I often find such parallels in the stories I encounter. At some point after writing my initial review, I discovered that this was in fact not a story taken from traditional Russian lore, and that its source was most likely American author Edith M. Thomas' 1907 poem Babushka (A Russian Legend), taken from her collection, Children of Christmas . Apparently there was also a play created for children from this piece. I am not sure what Thomas' sources were, as I have not investigated the subject that extensively, but clearly her work influenced subsequent American children's literature, when it comes to the presentation of this story.

In any case, I had intended to amend my review when I first discovered this new information, but then it somehow escaped me, and in the intervening years, removing the review from goodreads and then adding it again, I forgot all about it. My thanks to Olga, who commented below, for reminding me. Readers should be aware that this is not a traditional Russian tale, and does not reflect Russian Christmas customs, although it does bear a striking resemblance to the Christmas folklore from other cultures.

Original Review from 12/10/10:

A Christmas folktale from Russia, Baboushka and the Three Kings tells the story of an old woman who, when the Three Kings stop at her humble cottage on their way to visit the Christ child, chooses not to accompany them on their journey. Regretting this decision almost instantly, Baboushka sets out to follow them the next day, only to find that she cannot overtake them, nor find the child...

I understand that Baboushka is something of a Santa Claus figure in traditional Russian culture, bringing holiday gifts for the children. For my part, I have always found this story of a woman's eternal search for the Christ child immensely poignant, and have read it as an allegory of the Christian experience. I wish I could say that I enjoyed Nicolas Sidjakov's illustrations - which were awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1961 - as much as the narrative, but I'm afraid that this particular style of four-color artwork, so popular in the 1960s, does not appeal to me. For those who feel the same, I recommend taking a look at Arthur Scholey's retelling of the same tale ( Baboushka: A Christmas Folktale from Russia ), with illustrations by Helen Cann.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished the story and was so interested in the origins of the story. I thought, wow, how interesting that the Russian fable placed their Santa figure at the birth of Christ. But, actually, this is *not* an authentic Russian fable and it is actually more closely tied to the Italian legend of La Befana.

Please see Cheryl's review for a link to an excellent article about the origins of this "Russian" story: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

In any case, I really enjoyed the lovely storytelling here (inauthentic though it may be) but I was not at all a fan of the illustrations. I'm going to have to check out the Honor books from that year, although I'm pretty sure I would prefer any of them to these :-(

[Ronyell · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Baboushka and the Three Kings” is a Caldecott Medal award winning book written by Ruth Robbins along with illustrations by Nicolas Sidjakov and it is about how an old woman named Baboushka meets up with the three kings who asked her if she would accompanied them to witness the birth of Jesus. “Baboushka and the Three Kings” is a truly emotional story about hope but it might be a tad bit too sad for smaller children to handle.

Ruth Robbins has created a truly emotional story about the power of kindness and determination. Ruth Robbins shows the character Baboushka as a humble and kind-hearted woman who at first had to refuse the three kings’ offer to finish her housework which shows her dedication to her work and then wanting to find the child to give him gifts. Baboushka’s character also helps children learn about the importance of being determined to accomplish your goals in life as Baboushka shows great determination in finding the new born child.

Parents should know that the ending of this book is a bit too sad for smaller children to handle. I will not tell you what happens at the end of the book, but let’s just say that someone could not find what she or he are looking for and that might upset smaller children who want a happy ending. Also, Nicolas Sidjakov’s illustrations are a bit too simplistic to capture the emotional tone of this book as the characters look like stick figures and the backgrounds rarely have any color and the way that the field’s are illustrated is not in a more broader view and rarely have any colors that would make the backgrounds feel fuller.

“Baboushka and the Three Kings” is a truly emotional tale that some children would enjoy, however, because of the sad ending and the simplistic illustrations, this might not be a book that most children would enjoy.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheryl wrote: "
Baboushka and the Three Kings Lovely little story, interesting art, but apparently not authentic: https://suite.io/irene-woodhead/4jbf27d :..."

well, that link is broken. But I found a reference to Irene Woodhead's research in Bad Santas: and other creepy Christmas characters by Paul Hawkins. He says that Woodhead found Baboushka in a 1907 book of poetry by Edith Mathilda Thomas, probably Lyrics and Sonnets.

I found Hawkins in Google books, the relevant bit. p 177, here: https://books.google.com/books?id=Dhg...

[Mj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baboushka and The Three Kings was illustrated by Nicolas Sijakov and written by Ruth Robbins in 1960 and was chosen the Caldecott Medal Winner the following year. The Caldecott Medal Winner is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

I was fortunate to be able to borrow this book on an inter-library loan. I was looking for a Christmas Story about a different culture and was intrigued by the book’s description. It is an old Russian folk tale about a Baboushka (literally Grandmother in Russian, likely because many older Polish and Russian ladies wear a triangular scarf of the same name tied under their chins.) I received a 1st Edition of the book by Parnassus Press of Berkley California from a small town library. I did a bit of research and found a used copy of this edition being offered on Abe’s books for 450 US $’s. Kudos to public libraries. Use them or lose them. With private and public money, they have made huge investments in all kinds of books for everyone to borrow and savour so that reading is accessible to all regardless of wealth.

BABOUSHKA AND THE THREE KINGS is a simple story. It is about an old woman who lives alone in a small hut. Three kings get lost in a snowstorm as they are searching for the Child that is about to be born. They want to honour him and bring him gifts and ask that Baboushka join them in their visit. It’s evening and while warm inside, outside it’s cold and blustery. Baboushka invites them to stay the night and suggests they leave together in the morning. They are anxious to find the Child and choose to leave without her. The next morning Baboushka sets out on her own with a few poor but precious gifts in her sack for the Child. Unfortunately the snow has covered the kings’ tracks and Baboushka cannot find the Child.

Last 2 Paragraphs

“And it is said that every year, at the season when the birth of the Child was first heralded, Baboushka renews her search across that land with new hope.

And it is said that every year little children await the coming of Baboushka. They find joy in the poor but precious gifts she leaves behind her in the silent night.”

Russian children apparently used to anxiously await Baboushka’s arrival just as North American children anxiously await Santa Claus today. I think the simplicity of the story and the simplicity of the poor but precious gifts is worth sharing with children at a time when consumerism sometimes seems to run amuck and overshadow why this holiday is being celebrated.

In the book however, the reference is always to the Child (the first letter of Child being in caps and always preceded the word 'the'.) There is no mention of the word Christ. Therefore, I think people of all ages; all faiths or no faiths could and would enjoy this book.

Nicolas Sidjakov’s illustrations will delight children of any age. The four-colour artwork is very striking and integrates well into the story. The designs are linear in nature - primarily black lines and black outlines filled with bursts of colour inside - warm orangey red, bright yellow and cool blue. There is a lot of white space used as well in the illustrations to ensure the coloured images stand out. I am not sure if wood block printing was used but that’s what it reminds me of.

Sidjakov includes a lot of detail in his illustrations so there are many items for children to discover on their own or to be pointed out . It is a book with illustrations that wants to be read and shared and will easily facilitate interaction and learning about another country and how people lived as well as a heart-warming message of sharing what we have with others.

Since it was written almost 60 years ago, there is a quaintness to the book. Asterisks, as an example, are used to right and left justify the print on every text page. The drawings illustrate a different time and culture in Russia. A Monarch and a Hierarchy is readily apparent in the drawings. There are Kings being pulled in a carriage driven by horses, with men riding horses following and foot soldiers following, literally 'on foot' in the extreme cold. The drawings of the rustic wooden huts with minimal and simple furniture show what a poor and hard life Russian peasants led. The onion domes and spires of Russian Orthodox Churches, signs of wealth and authority, are abundant and dwarf the smaller wooden huts and homes. There is a lot to learn and discuss based on the illustrations alone.

An added bonus in the book is a verse to sing (written by Edith M. Thompson) to music (composed by Mary Clement Sankes. The musical score has been included so you can have some fun playing the music on a piano or other instrument while everyone sings-a-long. It could be a new tradition in the making.

Baboushka and The Three Kings is worth seeking out for its novelty alone. Based on the calibre of Children’s Picture Books today, if it was just released I likely rate it 2.5-3 stars. However its age (written 56 years ago) with printing technology etcetera at the time, I figure it deserves 4 stars. Also who am I to second guess the Caldecott judges of the time, who rated this book, the best Illustrated Children’s book published in the same year in the United States.

[Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Caldecott winner. The version I read looks like it was an original printing and there is history about the source of the material on the jacket flaps. Not sure where it is placed on later printings.

It's kind of a weird book, but I loved the illustration style, felt it was a good fit for the story.

I loved that she left 'poor but precious presents'. What a different thought.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very lucky to own a copy of most of the Caldecott winning books going back to the second book, Mei Li. My grandmother is a lover of books and she saved many books from her own childhood, and as her first grandchild she wanted to pass her love of books to me. Every year she bought the Caldecott winners both before and after I was born. As an adult, she gave me all of the books she read to me as a child because she knew I would cherish and take care of these books. She did what she set out to do and passed her love of reading to me (which is very obvious to all that know me through this site). I continued her tradition and still buy the Caldecott winner every year to keep up with my collection. When I went into education, I was able to use these books in the classroom but only displaying the most recent books in the classroom library. I just wanted to tell readers how I have this valuable, mostly sentimentally valuable, collection. I am lucky to still have my grandmother. She is 89 and we still trade books and give each other book recommendations. I am so thankful to her for collecting these books over the course of her life.

Now on to this book. It is a Russian folktale of an old woman who lives alone in a small home. Three Kings get lost in a snowstorm as they are making their way to find the Child that is about to be born.**I want to make a point that is made by another reviewer that I think is important. This story never mentions the word Christ. It refers to the Child with Child always capitalized and the word "the" never capitalized. So it can be considered an interfaith story.** The Three Kings ask Baboushka if she would like to come with them to see the Child, but she says no because she has chores she has to finish. The next day, Baboushka decides she wants to find the Child so she finds a simple gift to bring to him. When she steps outside, she realizes that the snow has fallen and covered the tracks of The Three Kings but she continues her search but unfortunately she never finds The Child.

The illustrations are very simple. The people are drawn as almost stick figures. It isn't very colorful. The illustrations definitely depict that the setting is Russia with the onion dome tops of the Russian Orthodox churches or government buildings. If this were written today, I wouldn't rate it very high, but it did win the Caldecott medal that year. 4 stars

[Emily Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Baboushka is a simple Russian folktale, telling the story of an old woman who missed her opportunity to witness the birth of Christ, but still searches on. The story begins on a cold and windy winter night. We find Baboushka, secure in her hut, finishing up her evening chores when she is visited by three men. These men invite Baboushka to come along with them, through the storm, in order to find the place where a child is born and offer him gifts. Baboushka politely declines, for she has more chores to finish, but offers for the men to take shelter with her for the night. Instead, the men journey on into the storm and Baboushka is left alone with her chores and her thoughts about this child. In the end, Baboushka decides to travel into the storm the next morning – searching from village to village in order to find the child and offer him her poor, but precious, gifts. Baboushka never finds the child, however, she never ended her search – even to this day children wait for Baboushka to come in the night to leave behind her poor, but precious, gifts. The story of Baboushka gives children the impression that you should never give up hope, no matter how hopeless your journey may seem. I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars. This book was read to me for the first time by one of my old and dear friends this past Christmas. Personally, I fell in love with this book because I saw the way she loved it. She told me that her grandmother used to read it to her and it is one of her favorite books to read over the holidays. It was so precious to know that the simple story of Baboushka had stayed with my friend over all these years – and it was even more precious to experience her sharing that book with me. I love the story and how it demonstrates the hope that filled one woman for years. I recommend this book because I believe it is timeless, and it shows children to believe. I feel as though children who celebrate Christmas are filled with visions of Santa. But, the story of Baboushka does not discuss elaborate gifts, rather meager gifts that are equally as precious. Furthermore, it shows children that it is okay to never give up hope. The book has religious undertones, but it is not overly religious. I think it would be a good book to read to children in order to enlighten them about folktales in other countries, as well as provide them with another character to admire besides the ever-present Santa Claus.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating folktale from Russia; a story of the Three Kings on their way to visit baby Jesus, not knowing what was to come. The perspective is an unusual one and is a refreshing twist on the tale.

The illustrations are very angular, with simple, primary colors; not sure why they earned the Caldecott Medal. I like that they included the song at the end of the story.

This book was selected as one of the books for the January 2015 - Quarterly Caldecott discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This actually is not a Russian folktale, which was disappointing, but it does re-enforce the idea that different countries have different traditions. The three kings stop at Baboushka's hut on their way to find the new born babe.

The art is more stylized than I like. Kids may have trouble interpreting some of the illustrations. For example, one of the lines on p 2 reads:
Baboushka's hut felt snug around her; her warm stove was the center of a cold world.
My 3-year-old nephew wanted to know where the stove was. A pot, a tea kettle, a fire ... there are lots of ways it could have been made more recognizable.

Oh, well. Bottom line: I'll keep the book and put it with my Christmas stories, but only because it's small. (Bad reason, I know.)

[Katt Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who cannot identify with the old woman hesitant to take a chance and slip out into the cold with three strangers? This book left me somewhat sad, the old woman left searching forever. I don't like the style of illustration very much, even for being a Caldecott medal book. Perhaps if I read this on a different day, in a different mood I would have reacted differently?

[Cosette]

Here it is! Baboushka is NOT just a term of endearment for my little brother! Who'd a thought? This changes EVERYTHING!

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, I just really don't get the appeal of this one, and it made me wonder how bad were the other children's books published that year if this was the Caldecott winner.

The illustrations were hideous and hard to make out. The story was just as simple and boring as the pictures, not a whole lot happened. The three wise men in search of the Christ child stop at her house for directions (boy were they lost). Baboushka cannot help them and after they leave she wishes she went with them and starts to wander the streets. That is the entire story.

Also, the text is filled with random asterisks...what was that suppose to be snow?

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Babousha and the Three Kings is the 1961 Caldeceott Award winner.

Baboushka is a Russian fairytale similar to the Santa Clause methos. Nicolas Sidjakov's illustations were surprisngly pleasing. I mean I liked some of the illustations but not all of them but they fit the story well.

[Blanco Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the line drawing illustrations with pops of primary colors.
And the cat was very cute.

The story about baboushka searching endlessly for The Child was a bit depressing.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this story an older woman lives in a house all by herself. One night is the dead of winter, it’s snowing, and three men come to her door with an army of men behind them. From the illustrations you can see that the woman is surprised to see the men. She almost is wary because they sort of appear out of no where. When she refuses to go with them to find the Child, she continues of with her chores. From the illustration after, when she finishes all her chores you can see that she wishes that she would have gone with them. Her face is disappointed, her head is in her hands. She appears to be lonely. Then she sets off after them but never finds them, so she tries every year after, searching for the kings and the Child. The illustrations for this book are simple almost stick-figure like but with more detail. Which allows the reader to imagine what is going with their own details added.

Critique: This book was really simple not supper detailed in it's illustrations. It allows the reader to imagine the details of the book by taking the illustrations and adding their own details. It's kind of a mysterious book the men seem to appear and disappear in the blink of an eye. Which is interesting but kind of disconcerting because one second they are there and the next they are gone.

Question: Is this supposed to be a different take on the Three Wise Men?

Use in the Classroom: I would use this book as a read-aloud or to lead into an activity where the students can create a story of their own. One that tells if the old woman every find the men that she is looking for and the adventures that she takes each year to find these men.

[Madison Glenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Russian folktale details the story of a woman, Baboushka, as she searches endlessly for the newborn christ child. Three kings knock on her door one night asking her to come along with them to bring gifts to the child, but she refuses because she has chores to do. The next day she regrets her decision and sets off in search of the child, but she never finds him and instead keeps searching all her life. This story is the foundation of the tradition of Russian children waiting for Baboushka to visit on Christmas while she searches. As a lover of folk tales I really enjoyed this story and way it explained a tradition in a culture I am not familiar with. The books theme, or purpose, was simply to tell the story that led to this Russian tradition and it's plot was simple but explained the story well by detailing all elements of the common plot line. The illustrations were incredibly simple and done in classic Russian style, which I thought was a very nice touch and made the book feel very authentic but could turn others away from the book. The colors used were very bold and the shade never varied, the illustrations look as if they were done with ink and filled in with paint. Baboushka was the only character that shared her feeling or thoughts, all other characters were flat and only existed to further Baboushka’s story. This book will establish a solid background for most Russian stories and provide a basis of the writing and drawing style used in classic Russian literature. I liked this book a lot, the story was interesting and the illustrations were unique, plus I love learning about other cultures especially though folktales.

[Chelsie L · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, published in 1960, won the Caldecott Medal in 1961. While illustration styles have changed, this book still has much to be considered when looking at how the art works with story.

The story is simple: one cold night in Russia, Baboushka is doing her chores when she is asked to join in the search for the Child. She declines, saying there is work to be done, but later regrets it and seeks the Child by herself.

The true story, however, comes with the illustrations. In the beginning, Baboushka is shown as an old woman, in her house alone. She is content with her life: “Baboushka’s hut felt snug around her; her warm stove was the center of a cold world.” The image of her cat nestled warm on the fireplace and the warm colors of red and yellow in contrast to the blue of the cold outside further emphasize her comfort.

Throughout the story, the reader can slowly see the vastness of the world, from the looming buildings to the small image of the caravan in search of the Child.

The illustrations are awkward to someone unfamiliar with the style, but its simplicity and tone really do take you back in time in old Russia. To today’s children, however, the illustrations will likely just look old and outdated; which, to be fair, they are.

The pictures tell the story well, but the story itself is lacking. I felt confused at times, and in the end I wondered at what there is to learn from this story, apart from the religious aspect.

Overall, I’m not sure that this story will appeal much to modern-day children, although it may appeal to those who are interested in the evolution of illustrations and how illustrations tell a story in subtle ways.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

• 1961 Caldecott Winner •

This book is so hard to rate - the story is AMAZING! I’ve never heard this before and I’m really fascinated by this Russian (lady!) version of Santa Claus. What’s even more interesting to me is this story is a Russian Christian one - the three kings come to Baboushka’s home saying that they’re following a star to “where a Babe is born”. (Although, Christ is never explicitly mentioned.) This book won the year that tension with the Soviet Union was really heating up, and just a year before the Cuban Missile Crisis. And I believe Christmas was banned in the USSR altogether from 1917-1991. I wonder if this choice was a political statement or just happened to be the best book released that year? Because… the art is really awful! The art looks like someone inexperienced drew it with markers then spilled water over everything because all the drawings look blurry. And the markers they used were the ones at the bottom of the barrel and they had to use the black marker that looks like it’s running out of ink and is almost gray, and the other colors are weird because that’s all that’s left. I wish the art matched the story!

Even though I think the art is weird, I absolutely love this story! It’s just really unique and different and an unusual Christmas book.

Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted

[Connor Ashcraft · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story covers a side of the biblical story of the birth of Jesus Christ and the three kings who brought him presents. We start off the story with Baboushka, an older woman who lives alone in a small hut. One night after hearing a lot of commotion outside her hut three well-dressed men knocked on her door. They stated they were on a journey to find the “babe”, which in this case is Jesus, but the snow made it difficult for them to see the way so they needed a guide to get them though. She simply stated that they wait till morning when it’s warmer and she will help but they said it was now or never so they old lady stayed home. Regretting her decision to not go she set out to find the kings and lead them, but she failed. Now every year around the same time she will set out to find the babe until she does.
-The simplistic style of the setting and the characters didn’t give it a lot of emotion in the images. But it did set an example of the type of art from the time of his birth to look similar which made for a good connection when understanding the book but not getting emotionally attached.

[Hannah Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book, Babushka and the Three Kings by Ruth Robins, Babushka is approached by three kings who heard of a baby being born and asked for her help. Babushka at first said no, finished cleaning her house, then heads off to find the kings by going trough city to city. In the end, the author explains how Babushka is like Santa Claus and children will look forward to her small gifts every year. The illustrations throughout the book are unique, but colorful. The main three colors of blue, yellow, orange and red are used throughout the house. The text in the book is quite long and extensive for an illustrated book, but it does represent the three kings wanting to see baby Jesus quite well and the Babushka version of Santa Claus, in a child's language. The strength of this book is the colorful images and simplistic language. A weakness of this book would have to be the religious undertones throughout the text. Overall, this book is colorful and can be used as a book for discussing helping others.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Learn the story behind the Russian tradition of Baboushka, the little old woman who leaves little gifts for children at Christmas time.

Ages: 4 - 8

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[Diana Le · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baboushka, an elderly lady, owned a cozy home that was going about her day until a knock was at the door. At the door, was three rich kings that asked Baboushka to follow them on their journey to find a child that was directed by a star. She decided to stay back, but later on, decided to pack bag of gifts and journeyed to find this child. Eventually, she couldn't find the child, but still continued to carry the gifts that she wanted to give around. Now, there is a legend around that child's birth, which is that Baboushka goes on her journey with gifts to give out to the children. I would read this story to my own classroom because it shares a story about a legend of a different country for the students to enjoy.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has such a charming look to it. It almost looks homemade, as though a child wrote and illustrated it. The story is essentially the same as the legend of Old Befana, only this one is Russian and Old Befana is Italian. I like that it has something of a religious message, that we have to be ready when Jesus comes, but that it also doesn’t vilify Baboushka, but gives her hope and a purpose while she waits for her opportunity to see Jesus once more. Oddly enough, my favorite illustration is the pattern on the endpapers. I love the blue.

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This simple little picture book is the retelling of a traditional Russian folk tale about an old woman who is visited by the Three Kings as they follow the star in search of the Child. They ask her to accompany them, but she declines, then thinks better of it, but cannot find their trail. Each year she renews her search, and she leaves little gifts for the children she encounters on her way.

Nicolas Sidjakov’s illustrations earned the Caldecott Medal. They remind me of stained glass windows, with strong lines and bright colors.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baboushka and the Three Kings
Ruth Robbins
Illustrated by Nicolas Sidjakov

Caldecott Award 1961. The art of this small picture book really appeals to me. They are thick black lines like you might see in the stained glass windows of a gothic cathedral. Then whole sections may be filled in with a simple color. A glorious and innovated way to set the scene and feel of the story. The story itself is a simple retelling of the folk tale about Baboushka and her quest to find the newborn child. The art and simpleness of the story creates a very touching moment.

3 1/2 stars.