Babushka Baba Yaga

by Patricia Polacco

Book Overview

She was the last of her kind. A creature of legends. A being of the forest. AAnd? stories . . . were told of her - stories of the terrible, horrible Baba Yaga. In truth, Baba Yaga was kind, and very lonely. And as she watches the babushkas of the village delight in their grandchildren, she longs for a grandchild of her own. Then she has an idea: She will be a babushka instead of a Baba Yaga. She dresses herself up as a kindly grandmother and enters...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399225315
• ISBN13: 9780399225314
• Release Date: September 1993
• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.8" x 11.3"
• Age Range: 6 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 5

Customer Reviews

Let Baba Yaga be a Babuska, Please!

Heart warming story about Baba Yaga as a Babushka. Hey only Patricia Polacco could do it right and she did! I think this is one of her best books!

Who should have to grow up???

I have been reading these books by Patricia Polacco since I was in the second grade. I can't believe that I actually remembered the author. They are very vivide books. It has now been about ten years since I last saw one of these books and i still rememger what they are about. One of my favorites is the one about the Rhubarb which made me want to try Rhubarb (Sorry if I didn't spell it right) anyways if you need something to read to your kids these have excellant drawings (I'm an artist just because of these books) They are wonderful I would recomend these to everyone not just kids.

Terrific, heart-warming book

This is a superb book. I actually choked up when reading it to my daughter for the first time. It's a wonderful tale, but also contains a wonderful lesson, i.e., don't judge people by what they look like.

This book meets the criteria for The Caldecott Medal

Patricia Polacco's picture book Babushka Baba Yaga should be nominated for the Randolph Caldecott Medal. By looking at the distinguished illustrations, readers can become involved in the story. The plot, which can easily be understood by children ages four to eight, is interesting and wonderful. Baba Yaga is portrayed as a scary creature that lives in the forest. Although people who live in the village tell horrifying stories of her to children, Baba Yaga is really a kind and lonely individual. Furthermore, she longs to be a grandmother and hold a child in her arms. She disguises herself as a Babushka and becomes the caretaker of the little boy, Victor. Baba Yaga becomes close with the child and the two develop a strong love for one another. Young children can relate to Baba Yaga's experience and even sympathize for her loneliness as an outsider of the village. Consequently, the main conflict of person verses society is revealed in Polacco's book. Through illustrations, this theme is displayed effectively. Baba Yaga is shown from the outside looking in at the people. We get a sense of her desire for a grandchild as her face is drawn with dark gray, green and brown. Her face is sad looking and the use of color helps the reader get a sense of the mood. Polacco states "And so she watched sadly from afar as people of the nearby village celebrated the season of their lives together." Hence, the illustrations accurately correspond with the content of the story. The theme of the story is great and beneficial to children. In addition, the theme ties into the plot, characters, and setting of the book. Children are taught the lesson not to form an opinion of people based on their physical appearance. Also this powerful use of characterization allows the reader to see Baba Yaga as a kind and loving individual. As children learn a valuable lesson that appearance is only skin deep, and what really matters is what is inside a person, they will gain a collective unity from this book. Through the themes, concept, and bright pictures, this book is great for children. Polacco understands the abilities of children and incorporated well-developed illustrations with an effective content with makes this an excellent educational story for children. Furthermore picture book meets the criteria and terms of the Caldecott Award.

A wonderful book to share with young readers!

This is a wonderful story that my children absolutely love!!! It is a poignant reminder that people can be very cruel to those they deem different, but that there is beauty within each and every person if you look hard enough. My children were able to relate to the characters in the story and speak of Babushka Baba Yaga as though she is a real person. Although the story is set in Russia, the experience does not have any geographic boundaries and can spark many lively day-to-day questions from a young child. The story touches on issues that children need to be reminded of: showing that beauty is only skin deep, being kind to all people, just because you're different doesn't mean it's bad, giving everyone a chance, etc.Other stories that have had the same effect on my children are Stellaluna, Guess How Much I Love You, The Giving Tree, and more.