Maida Silverman

This book tells the story of a young girls who's little brother is swept away by seven swans and taken to an old witches cottage. On her way to save her brother the young girl helps out a stove, apple tree and river of milk. Once she saves her brother she travels back avoiding the swans with the help of all those she had helped along her way. The style of this book was very much a typical fairytale. The settings, characters, language and magic reminded me of a Jack and the Beanstalk or show more Hansel and Gretel type story. By the end of the book it was clear the message was to always help those in need without expecting anything in return and good things will happen to you. Overall I feel the illustrations were beautiful and style represented a classic fairytale. show less

The protagonist is young Anna who is sweet, loving, and a bit distractible. Her strength lies in her love for her brother, her willingness to help those around her, and her quick wits. She bests the terrible, child consuming Baba Yaga and her beautiful, yet deadly swans. Baba Yaga is horribly wicked and ugly, but thankfully not too bright. Her hearing is getting weak and her swans are also not exactly the most intelligent minions around, which benefits young Anna and Ivan in the end. This is show more a great read and a gentle introduction to Russian folklore. show less

I really enjoyed this book for a few reasons. I am not Jewish so it was interesting to learn about a holiday different form mine. I really enjoyed the plot and how it told the story of how Hanukkah came about and why they celebrate it. It was told at a good pace and was written clearly so that a young child would understand it. I liked how they helped the reader define certain words they may not know such as Maccabee meaning strong and brave. Also learning that Hanukkah means dedication and show more after reading the story, I now understand why they would call it that. I also really enjoyed the organization of the book. The beginning told the story of where Hanukka came from and after it talked about legends of the menorah and dreidle, providing readers with additional information about the holiday. It also included directions on how to make a dreidle and how to play games with it. I think the overall message of this book was just to teach young readers the origin of Hanukkah and how it came about. show less

This story is about a girl named Anna, who was supposed to be watching her little brother, Ivan, while their parents go to town. Their mother warns Anna about Baba Yaga, and to keep a close eye on her brother. Anna is distracted by picking flowers, and one of Baba Yaga’s seven swans grabbed Ivan. While running after the swans, a stove, apple tree, and a milk river all ask Anna for help. Even though she is busy trying to rescue her brother, she stops and helps them. Anna finally escapes Bab show more Yaga with her brother, and they are running home. Baba Yaga sends her swans after them, but the milk river, apple tree, and stove help hide the children from the swans. They make it back home safe! I loved this book, I thought it was cute! It teaches kids, that Anna showed kindness to three objects even though she was in a rush to save her brother. In the end, they returned the favor and helped her. show less