BABA YAGA: A RUSSIAN FOLKTALE retold by Eric A. Kimmel; Illustrated by Megan Lloyd

1. Bibliographic data

Kimmel, Eric A. 1991. Baba Yaga: A Russian Folktale. Ill. by Megan Lloyd. New York: Holiday House. 0-8234-1060-9.

2. Plot summary

Kimmel's retelling of the Russian folktale of Baba Yaga begins with a loving family of two children. One daughter, Marina, is the father's -- the child of his late wife -- and is beautiful inside and out except for a ugly horn which grows from her forehead. Marusia, the other daughter, belongs to his new wife, and is a very hateful, spoiled child. When the father is absent for a year, his wife is very cruel to Marina and makes her a servant for herself and her spoiled brat of a daughter. When Marusia complains about Marina's ugly horn, her mother sends Marina to Baba Yaga, a crazy witch who will surely kill her. Because Marina heeds the advice of a friendly frog, she escapes the witch and becomes free of her horn. Her father returns and throws out his wife and Marusia for mistreating Marina. When Marina approaches Baba Yaga, she behaves very badly and leaves with Marina's horn on her head.

3. Critical Analysis

The element of Baba Yaga that stands out most to me are the illustrations. In my opinion, Megan Lloyd does a phenomenal job with her artwork. The illustrations are colorful, fluid, detailed, and, most importantly, humorous. She shows the characters in action -- moving their arms and speaking to one another. The story could be a very frightening one for a child to read, but Lloyd's pictures make the tale comical and easy to stomach. I would much rather laugh at funny pictures than be scared by a haunting tale and gory illustrations, so I really enjoyed Baba Yaga's illustrations.

I have never read the original story of Baba Yaga, but I certainly enjoyed Kimmel's version of the tale. His words are very easy to read and mesh perfectly with the accompanying illustrations. I enjoy his descriptions: "Her face looked like a bowl of gray pudding." His language is simple and direct, which makes the story funny. This story was very similar to Cinderella: the evil stepmother, spoiled sister, and the absent father. The horn and the evil witch add a new element to the tale, which I found very funny.

Since this tale is Russian, I expected to learn more about the Russian culture from readig the book. Other than the characters' appearance in the illustrations and their Russian names, I really didn't see any other aspects of the Russian culture in the story. The only unusual element of the illustrations is Baba Yaga's house, which sits on chicken feet.

Kimmel's Baba Yaga is engaging and funny, and the comical illustrations make the folktale a good read. However, if one wants to learn more about the Russian culture, this wouldn't be the book to read.

4. Review Excerpts

"This engrossing story is both fanciful and suspenseful. Lloyd's ( How We Learned the Earth Is Round ) burnished, somewhat cartoon illustrations of the rural scene--with such enticing details as a witch's cabin resting on chicken feet--are just right." - Publishers Weekly

"The elements new to this version--the horn, the frog, and a pot with a hole--seem to be drawn from Germanic and Gaelic folklore, but often have a jarring effect upon the story. Thus, Kimmel's version ultimately lacks the elemental power of other Baba Yaga stories. Nowhere is this more evident than in Lloyd's pen-and-ink and watercolor cartoons. Rather than a menacing force, Lloyd dilutes her witch until she becomes merely a nasty old woman. Even Baba Yaga's house and gruesome fence of skeleton bones have been trivialized to the point of ineffectiveness. The proportions of the human characters are awkward, and the illustrations lack an animate quality. Although the use of color is pleasing, only the barest sense of place is suggested. This offering may have use in comparative folklore but, taken as a whole, it does not do justice to Baba Yaga." - School Library Journal

5. Connections

Related books:

Arnold, Katya. 1994. Baba Yaga & the Little Girl: A Russian Folktale. New York: North-South Books. 1-5585-8288-6.

Oram, Hiawyn. 1998. Baba Yaga & the Wise Doll: A Traditional Russian Folktale. Ill. by Ruth Brown. New York: Dutton Children’s Books. 0-5254-5947-2.

Phinney, Margaret Yatsevitch. 1995. Baba Yaga: A Russian Folk Tale. Ill. by Lydian Green. Greenvale, N.Y.: Mondo Pub. 1-5725-5004-X.