Book Review: Baba Yaga, A Russian Folktale, retold by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Megan Lloyd

Kimmel, Eric A. 1991. BABA YAGA, A RUSSIAN FOLKTALE. Illustrated by Megan Lloyd. New York, NY: Holiday House. ISBN 0-8234-0854-X.

Plot Summary: In this folktale from Russia, a young girl named Marina is a Cinderella-like character. When her mother dies, her father (a wealthy merchant) marries a “proud, haughty woman” with a daughter named Marusia. When the father fails to return from a business trip, stepmother and stepsister make Marina their servant, forcing her to work while they live a life of leisure. There is one other feature that makes this story unique. Marina has “a great ugly horn growing out of the middle of her forehead.” When Marusia tells her mother that she can no longer stand to see Marina and her horn, the stepmother sends Marina on a mission to obtain a needle and thread from Baba Yaga, a witch, knowing full well that the witch has a propensity for eating children. Thus starts Marina’s quest through the forest where she meets a frog who gives her some valuable advice, advice that will later help her escape the clutches of Baba Yaga.

After convincing Baba Yaga to remove her horn and using the information given to her by the frog to return home safely, Marina discovers that her father has returned. When her father hears of Marina’s abuse at the hands of the stepmother and stepsister, the father banishes them. Realizing that the only answer to their problems is for Marusia to marry a wealthy merchant or a prince, the stepmother sends Marusia to Baba Yaga with the request to “make (her) just like your stepsister.” Ignoring the frog’s friendly greeting (and thus his sage advice), Marusia faces Baba Yaga without any magical assistance. When Marusia requests that she be just like her stepsister, Baba Yaga grants her wish by placing the horn on Marusia’s forehead. While Marina and her father live happily ever after, the reader is left to believe that the stepmother and Marusia do not fare as well and that Marusia may have to wear the horn for the rest of her life.

Critical Analysis: This version has many of the typical elements of a Cinderella Story including the widowed father, the stepmother and (one) stepsister, magical creatures (the frog), and a satisfying ending. There is no prince, no ball, and instead of a fairy godmother there is a witch. The setting is purposefully vague but from the illustrations and story we are told that they live at the edge of a dark forest, thereby setting up a need to travel through the forest (quest) on the way to see Baba Yaga. Again we see the strong, resourceful female (Marina), the covetous and slothful stepmother and stepsister, the creature from nature (the frog), and the embodiment of evil, Baba Yaga. The only human male in the story is the father and his brief appearance at the beginning and at the end serves only to establish context and provide closure.

The themes include good triumphing over evil, the virtue of hard work and tenacity, the lesson of friendliness and humility, even when dealing with something lower on the evolutionary scale, and the true nature of beauty and ugliness. The style of this version remains true to most standard folk tales, beginning with “Once upon a time…” however there is no “and they lived happily ever after” as the reader is led to assume that Marina and her father do and that the stepmother and stepsister do not. The storyline is linear and predictable and the author does not stray from a formulaic presentation, therefore, this is a particularly good read-aloud book.

The illustrations by Megan Lloyd have a wood-cut quality that complements the story without overpowering it. The illustrations also have a cartoon-like feel which is appropriate for the storyline and the target audience. A more realistic depiction of the witch for instance might frighten younger children.

Review Excerpts:

Publishers Weekly: “This engrossing story is both fanciful and suspenseful. Lloyd’s …somewhat cartoony illustrations…are just right.”

School Library Journal: “This offering may have use in comparative folklore, but, taken as a whole, it does not do justice to Baba Yaga.”

Connections:

There are many versions of the Baba Yaga character in Eastern European folklore. Find two other versions such as Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll by Oram Hiawyn and Baba Yaga and the Stolen Baby by Alison Lurie and Jessica Souhami and compare and contrast them. While she is typically portrayed as evil, in some folktales she provides guidance. See how these versions compare to Eric Kimmel’s version.

This book could be adapted for Reader’s Theater. Depending on the age of the children, the script could be prepared or older children could adapt the story themselves and perform it for a younger audience.

Aural connections: Have students listen to Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition: The Hut on Hen’s Legs. Have the children make connections between the music and the story. Is the music scary? Is it fast or slow? Does it complement the story? If you close your eyes, does it make you feel like you are at Baba Yaga’s house?

Have the children draw their own version of Baba Yaga. Make a display of the children’s artwork along with alternate versions of the story, a DVD of Pictures at an Exhibition, a map of Eastern Europe, a Baba Yaga ragdoll, a horn, etc.