#929 of 1001 · February 15, 2023

At the halfway point of Firebird Week, I’m perusing @ruthsandersonart’s The Golden Mare, the Firebird, and the Magic Ring. After finding a bright, glowing feather, earnest young huntsman Alexi is pressed into service by the wicked Tsar. If he values his life, he is to capture the legendary Firebird and bring it back for the monarch’s viewing pleasure. When he succeeds, the Tsar commands him to locate Yelena the Fair, a renowned beauty who sails on the Lake of the Sun. Rather than marry the black-hearted ruler, however, Yelena tricks him into jumping into a cauldron which she claims contains the Water of Youth. Indeed, the water makes the Tsar young again: he transforms into a baby. Alexi and Yelena take the infant as their own child and rule the kingdom together. Sanderson’s exciting text and rich paintings emphasize the beauty and drama of the tale. A note for folklore enthusiasts: Sanderson draws inspiration primarily from “The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa”, a tale collected by Aleksandr Afanas’ev in Narodnye Russkie Skazki. However, in the original story, the Tsar is not turned into a baby but killed outright in the boiling cauldron. #firebird #horse #princess #russia #russian #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks