#523 of 1001 · January 5, 2022

Magic and marvels abound in The Sea-King’s Daughter by Aaron Shepard and Gennady Spirin. Young musician Sadko is renowned in the port city of Novgorod for the merry music of his twelve-string gusli. One day, as he walks by the river Volkhov, the King of the Sea rises from the deep and invites him down to play at an underwater banquet. At the palace, the Sea King offers the hand of one of his daughters in marriage. The Sea Queen, however, warns Sadko that embracing or kissing his bride will ensnare him forever, and he will be unable to return to dry land. After a chaste night in the bridal bed, Sadko awakens to find himself up on the riverbank, and he returns to his life as an ordinary musician. Shepard’s energetic text and Spirin’s luminous watercolor-and-colored-pencil drawings make for a winning folkloric blend. A note for folklore enthusiasts: the tale of the musician’s underwater sojourn comes from one of the best-known Russian byliny (epic ballads) by way of Sadko, an acclaimed opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. #sea #king #daughter #river #underwater #palace #magic #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks