The Magic Nesting Doll

This is a reverse tale of Sleeping Beauty wherein the lady rescues the prince and saves him from an frozen figure of living ice.

Set in Russian, the wicked Tsar has placed a spell on his successor. Before she dies, Katya's grandmother gave her a set of nesting dolls instructing her to open them only when she is in peril and needs assistance.

Using the nesting dolls to assist the prince, she is able to break the spell of doom gradually with each successive doll. In the end, it is her kiss that frees to prince. They live happily ever after.

The illustrations are incredibly lush, clear and astoundingly beautiful!

Happily Ever After! I enjoyed this almost gender-bent idea of the story of sleeping beauty. Absolutely GORGEOUSLY illustrated. Each picture could be taken out of the book and framed for how beautiful this book is. Excellent.

Personal Response:
One of the best things about this book is the illustrations. They are everything that I feel fairy tale illustrations should be. The people are portrayed realistically and the details of the world are vivid, clear and detailed. I think I read that this is not really a traditional Russian fairytale which was a bit disappointing but I loved that it introduced the reader to matryoshka dolls and other elements of Russian culture such as the architecture of the palace.

Curricular/Programming Connections:
Show examples of matryoshka dolls
Read Russian fairytales
Look at costumes in this book. Research traditional Russian clothing. How accurate are the illustrations?

This story seems very traditional, but is actually a recent work. It is a sort of "sleeping beauty" in reverse. The focus on the little Russian "nesting dolls" comes from the author's own interest in them, and adds a particular twist to the vibe of the story. The illustrations are way more elaborate than most, with the depth adding another level of intrigue to the fantasy world created.

A girl lost her grandmother and the only thing she left her was a nesting doll. It wasn't an ordinary doll thought, whenever Katya needed something all she had to do was open it. The only catch was she could only use it three times. It was supposed to be spring but she looked again and their was snow everywhere. She asked an innkeeper to wake her in the morning but they told her that ever since the prince has been frozen in ice there is no change in season or daylight. She told him that she will take care of it. She went to the castle to visit the boy. He was beautiful and seen that he was still alive from the rise of his chest. His uncle that watches him told her that no one has yet to break the spell and that she couldn't do it show more either. So, they sent her away. They kept trying to get rid of her but every time she was in trouble she opened the doll. Each one brought back the value things the townspeople missed. The bear, the wolf, and the firebird all used their magic to bring back the prince. When the sun came back the uncle turned into stone. But, the prince was still asleep. She kissed him and melted the last part that was frozen. This was such a good story, I've never read this one but I wish I was oilcloth have when I was young. The illustrations were so detailed and dynamic. show less

52 months - well illustrated and a good ol' fashion style fairytale!

Russian story of the nesting dolls