Boris Artzybasheff (1899–1965)

Handsome, wealthy, and wise, King Douda was the ruler of a powerful kingdom. But he was not happy, for he could not find a princess who was his equal in beauty and virtue - a princess worthy of being his queen... But then one day, riding out with his hunt, Douda happened upon the Seven Simeons, simple peasant brothers with extraordinary gifts.

This retelling of a Russian folktale, in which seven peasants help their king to gain the hand of a beautiful princess, was a Caldecott Honor Book in show more 1938. Boris Artzybasheff's delicate line drawings, in red, black, green and gold ink, are simply delightful. It is a shame that this lovely picture book is out of print. show less

This is a good collection of work by an amazingly talented draftsman. There's no doubt that Artzybasheff's work is sometimes a bit conceptually unimaginative and repetitive, but at the same time, his technical execution is so impressive that the sheer eye candy makes up for the sometimes uninteresting ideas. This book contains a healthy dose of Artzybasheff's forte, the incredible designs of anthropomorphized machines that made the artist (deservedly) famous.

The illustrations have exquisite detail, and are quite beautiful. The tale is of a king who is so handsome that he cannot find a wife beautiful enough to suit him, until seven brothers named Simeon come to his aid.

Very enjoyable story with illustrations perfect for a Russian tale.