Vasilisa the Beautiful: A Russian Folktale by Anthea Bell

Vasilisa the Beautiful: A Russian Folktale Reviews

• 
  SheAintGotNoShoes

  Another variation on the classic Russian fairy tale of the lovely child and her magical doll.
  Wonderful story !
• 
  Karen

  The illustrations in this edition were exceptionally beautiful and added a lot to this folk tale.
• 
  Kimberly

  Any story or book that begins with "Once upon a time," is always a treat for me to read. I don't know if it's that I'm taken back to the sweet and carefree days of my childhood, or if it's that those words conjure a kind of literary magic for me. It's probably both and I'm here for it! This short story reminded me of Cinderella but with it's own spin. The artwork was fantastic and could easily stand alone apart from the story. But, meld the literary with the artistic and this story was utterly captivating. A wonderful way to begin my year of reading!
• 
  Juliaruth readsalot

  This is a Cinderella meets Baba Yaga tale.
  Like all fairy tales it has its trials and tribulations that we love, but has an unfamiliar (for me at least) twist with its Russian origin.
  To accompany this lovely tale, are beautiful, gorgeous illustrations that paint the story so wonderfully.
  
  I think this is a book that will bring endless enjoyment to its reader (owner)!
• 
  Xenia Krutsch

  I liked this one way more than the other! The writing style was appropriate for this book, the layout was nice, the art super beautiful. The story was a bit more fleshed out and I liked the ending better. The depiction of Baba Yaga was different but I liked that she had some kind of compassion here.
• 
  Jennifer

  Folktale/Fairytale. Lots of familiar elements. Dead mother, supernatural help, evil stepmother and stepsisters, absent father, witch, handsome prince. Interesting illustrations remind me of Gustav Klimt and Marc Chagall.
• 
  Kimberly

  Beautiful and unique illustrations. The story, a Russian folktale, is a bit like Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel mixed together.
• 
  erin

  this is all about the fabulously beautiful illustrations for me. I could look at them endlessly.... 5 stars for the illustrations, 2 for the fairy tale.
• 
  Alicia

  Three for a solid fairy tale and four-five for such beautiful illustrations.
• 
  Helen

  This is a beautifully illustrated children's book recounting a Russian fairy tale -- very similar to the Cinderella fairy tale -- in a straightforward, easy-to-understand manner. What makes the book special are the illustrations by Ms. Morgunova, which somehow remind me of being blanketed in deep sleep under a layer of snow although the person is simultaneously floating in the stars, amid time and space and nature at every season. The illustrations reminded me of Klimt, Arp, and also, the schematic artwork of Blackfoot tribes - maybe the references to archetypal forms seem to hearken back to a mythic past that is universal in its themes. I loved the subtle, muted color schemes in the paintings - sometimes monochromatic with just a pop of color (such as the doll, dressed in red). It's stories like these that seem to speak to universal anxieties of growing up, that transcend specific cultures: The fear of not being loved by a step-mother or step-siblings, the fear of a parent being away and carers taking advantage of his absence to try to harm the child, the scary journey with only the memory of a lost parent, maybe embodied in a treasured keepsake, and the final vindication as the child's tormentors are doomed and the child, having grown up, "lives happy ever after" - reassurance indeed that everything will be OK, exactly what children need to hear. Moral of the story: Do not be mean to people (hubris), since karma/fate (nemesis) has a way of punishing the evil and rewarding the good.
  
  I'd recommend the book to any reader - especially a parent, since undoubtedly any kid will enjoy the somewhat scary story (that does turn out OK in the end). Any reader though would be entranced by the beautifully executed illustrations and the tale itself.
  
  Only one quote - from the "baddie" in the story, the witch Baba Yaga: "Ask away, " said the witch "but remember that not every question has a good answer, and the more you know the sooner you grow old."
• 
  Kathryn Lawall

  The folktale "Vasilisa the Beautiful" was a great fairytale! It was a Russian folktale that I felt was loosely based on cinderella. It talked about a young girl who's mother died, left her a magical doll that protected her whenever she needed help. After her mother died, her father remarried a woman with two ugly daughters that forced Vasilisa to do all of the chores. Her step mother doesn't like her being so beautiful so she tries to have her killed but in the end her step mother and step sister end up dying and she gets married to the Tsar of the kingdom. Even though this is a Russian folktale, it has properties of an American folk tale that I believe children would love. It would bring in another culture into the classroom as well as allow the students to relate it back to their culture and fairytales they have heard that could be similar. I would find this more suitable for older children because it talks about death.
• 
  Kest Schwartzman

  This is a remarkably average retelling. Some of the more abstract illustrations show off how beautiful this book almost is, but in the end; it's just average.
  
  It's still a great story, though, and if this is the version you've got on your shelf, by all means, read it to the kids over and over. If you're looking for a version of the story to buy, though, there are better ones.
• 
  Juliaruth readsalot

  This is a Cinderella meets Baba Yaga tale.
  Like all fairy tales it has its trials and tribulations that we love, but has an unfamiliar (for me at least) twist with its Russian origin.
  To accompany this lovely tale, are beautiful, gorgeous illustrations that paint the story so wonderfully.
  
  I think this is a book that will bring endless enjoyment to its reader (owner)!
• 
  April

  I'm reading the Vasalisa story in "Women Who Run with the Wolves," which led me here. The artwork is exquisite.
• 
  Engel Dreizehn

  Extremely good surrealist, tradition Russian folklore style illustrations
• 
  Debbie Tanner

  This is a retelling of Vasilisa the Beautiful, a Russian folktale. It has some strong connections to Cinderella and One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes. The art work is really gorgeous on this one.
• 
  Mir

  Not sure if this is from this book, but it is by this illustrator: