The Firebird

Based on the ballet by Igor Stravinsky, The Firebird is about a prince who, with the help of a firebird, rescues a princess and her handmaidens from a wizard who supposedly cannot be killed. I've never heard of nor seen the ballet before, but I did enjoy the story and the illustrations were gorgeous. I also liked how illustrations of the ballet were included at the bottoms of each page.

What I did not like about this book was the way it was written, which consisted of many small, abrupt sentences. I generally don't have a problem with that kind of writing style, but it made this particular story flow weirdly for me.

I don’t know. Some ballets are weird and assuredly some folktales as well. The demons are creepy. I’d use caution with sensitive children. I’m keeping this in the ballet section.

Lost in a forest with no other living organisms, Prince Ivan saw Firebird. Firebird was a brightly colored, beautiful bird that was said to be magic. Prince Ivan caught Firebird in his hands. Firebird said if he was let go, then he would give Prince Ivan a magic gift. Prince Ivan let him go and was given a magical feather. He followed Firebird to see where he was going and found a beautiful house. This house belonged to Kostchei the Deathless and he was warned not to stay. Instead of listening to this warning, he decided he would fight Kostchei the Deathless in order to free the maidens that were trapped in the house. Prince Ivan called for Firebird since he had the magic feather and Firebird brought him a golden sword. With this sword, show more Prince Ivan killed Kostchei the Deathless and freed the maidens, along with all of the other people Kostchei the Deathless had turned to statues over the years. This is largely based on Russian folktale, but also has elements from Firebird the ballet in it. There are elements of classic Rusian folklore in this story, such as Prince Ivan being a typical hero - a handsome hunter who rescues beautiful women - and Kostchei the Deathless, who is usually portrayed as a villain. show less

Prince Ivan uses the magic of the Firebird to kill the Deathless demon and wins himself the bride.