Favorite Russian Fairy Tales

by Arthur Ransome

Book Overview

Russian folk culture is filled with magical stories for children; tales of witches and wizardry, perilous journeys, wise animals, frightful giants, and beautiful princesses. This choice collection presents six of the most popular tales. Some bear a resemblance to the folktales of western Europe, while others introduce exotic creatures and situations unique to the Russian imagination. Among the fanciful characters young readers will encounter in these...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486286320
• ISBN13: 9780486286327
• Release Date: November 2011
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.2" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 8 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 9

Customer Reviews

Ah, the culture of it

This is a fantastic collection of stories that have been a part of the Russian culture for centuries. Anyone growing up in Russia has heard these stories, and now so can you! Kids will appreciate the characters and adventures. Parents will appreciate the values and lessons. Everyone will appreciate the timeless tales of fantasy, magic, and talking animals.

A lot of "read" for the penny!

This is a fine introduction to popular Russian fairy tales, including the story of the little snow girl (a childless couple builds a daughter out of snow) and "Frost" (cruel stepmother sends girl out to freeze in the snow, but Frost sees her kindness and spares her-- the nasty stepsisters are not so lucky). The similarity between some of the Russian tales and our own English fairy tales is interesting (why is the stepmother always the evil one?). This introductory collection leaves one wanting to learn more Russian tales.