#127 of 1001 · December 5, 2020

In Krystyna Turska’s The Magician of Cracow you’ll find an engaging tale of magic and trickery. The title character, a learned sorcerer renowned across Poland for his skill with the mystic arts, nourishes a single, burning wish—the ability to travel to the moon. He therefore makes a pact with the devil, signing away his own life in exchange for limitless wealth and power, but delays fulfilling his end of the bargain for years and years. When the fiend’s impatience boils over, the two engage in a battle of wits that leaves the magician trapped in limbo between freedom and captivity forever. Turska’s illustrations, filled with bright color and bustling detail, inject the narrative with a merry energy, while her ornate borders create an air of the antique. A note for folklore enthusiasts: this book is inspired not by a fairy tale but by a legend, which is a folk story that features characters believed to be real historical figures (such as Robin Hood or Mulan). This particular legend originates with the sixteenth-century Polish nobleman Pan Twardowski, a famous astronomer and alchemist believed by many to be endowed with supernatural powers. #magician #magic #devil #thedevil #krakow #poland #polish #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks