Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave

"Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave", told by Marianna Mayer and illustrated by K.Y. Craft, is a classic Russian fairy tale told in a way that is exciting to children cross culturally. As a child, I loved to hear stories about the evil hag, Baba Yaga, who lived in her hut that walked on chicken legs. The story is a lot like Cinderella mixed with an only child, teenage Hansel and Gretel. The story follows a pretty basic plot, widowed step mother sends her step daughter, Vasilisa, to a cannibalistic forest hag to retrieve a light. Embodiments of night and day come with warnings for Vasilisa about approaching the hag. In the end Vasilisa's work ethic and cunning knowledge saves Vasilisa from being eaten by the Baba Yaga. The art work in this picture book is reminiscent of etchings done in the time of the Renaissance age, a wonderful art history lesson potential. There are lots of Vasilisa and Baba Yaga stories, each one showing a different trait of Vasilisa, beauty, bravery, intelligence, each one championed traits in the Russian culture, linking this book to social studies. There doesn't seem to be too many good representations for Russian folk lore, but this is a prime example that kids are guaranteed to love.