Baboushka and the Three Kings

One day three kings riding a cart pulled by three white horses stopped at Baboushka's simple Russian home. They were following a star, seeking a child and they were bearing expensive gifts. They asked Baboushka to journey with them, but she declined. After they left she felt she'd made a mistake, that she should have gone with the wise men, however it has snowed and she is unable to follow their tracks. So every Christmas season for the rest of her life she went about searching and giving out small gifts in the silent night. Baboushka is sort of the Russian version of St. Nicholas and it's well told. My girls and I liked the Picasso like illustrations of Nicolas Sidjakov's. At Christmas we always sing the Baboushka song in the back of the book. We have loved this little book at our house, we will go on loving it.

Baboushka and the Three Kings won the Caldecott medal as the best illustrated American children's book in 1961. Stylistically, these images will remind you of stained glass windows and the abstraction of Egyptian murals with Byzantine faces. The pages are done in five colors only (black plus blue, yellow, an orange-red, and green). The result gives the book a religious tone that makes you imagine you are reading from an illuminated manuscript done during the middle ages. All that is missing are the gold highlights. The story picks up on the Biblical tale of the three kings coming from the East following the star to the birth of Christ. The three kings have lost their way in the snow in Russia, and ask the old peasant lady, Baboushka, to help them. After hearing of their pilgrimage, she wants to finish her chores first, and spend the night resting in her warm cottage before starting out. She invites the three kings and their retainers to join her for the night. They politely decline, not wanting to miss His birth. The next morning, Baboushka repents and decides to bring gifts to the Christ child as well. But so much snow has fallen that she cannot find their trail. She goes from village to village hoping for word of the three kings, but finds nothing. Eventually, she gives her gifts to the children along the way."And it is said that every year, at the season when the birth of the Child was first heralded, Baboushka renews her search across that land with new hope." "And it is said that every year little children await the coming of Baboushka." "They find joy in the poor but precious gifts she leaves behind her in the silent night."The book points out rather well that when opportunity knocks, one had better take immediate action or possibly rue the consequences for a lifetime. But the repentence can still yield important benefits for the proscrastinator and those who know her or him.After you and your child know this story well, you should share with your child examples you have seen where waiting was a mistake. To balance that message, also share some stories where waiting was a good idea. In this way, you can help your child prepare to perceive and act on good opportunities that require quick action.This book obviously will raise the question of what this has to do with Santa Claus from your child, so be ready with your answer for that, as well. Be generous as you can possibly be in your support of others and always active in seeking God's truth.

This is a little book for children that is based on the Russian Christmas tale about the old woman Baboushka who is visited one winter's night by three kings who are searching for a new born child. They ask her to come with them but she can't, saying that she has to finish her chores. Later, bearing gifts, she desides to search for the kings and the babe herself. She visits houses asking about the babe and leaves gifts behind. This becomes the basis for a Russian Christmas tradition. The illustrator of the book was Nicholas Sidjokov and the book won the 1961 Caldecott Medal for best illustration in a book for children. His illustrations enhance the telling of this old Russian Christmas story.

Baboushka and the Three Kings is a book of hope and wonder. It has a simple moral: reach for the stars and follow your heart. This is an inspirational story to read.

This story adapted from a Russian folktale realtes an episode in the journey of the wise men to Bethlehem. While passing through Russia, they stop at a hut and ask Baboushka if she will join them. At first she declines to search for the Babe in a bitter snow storm, and they move on. The next day, she relents and sets out after them but cannot find their trail. She gives the meager gifts she has packed for the Babe to some children and searches the next year at the time of the Babe's birth. Nicolas Sidjakov's simple and abstract illustrations add to the text. They reiterate the Russian theme of the storyline through the use of sttrong reds, yellows, and blues. The characters' large eyes lend an almost-Byzantine, iconic appearance to the drawings, which may not appeal to everyone. Though these drawings are almost forty years old, they are still appealing to the modern audience. Sidjakov's abstraction of Russian Orthodox iconography gives the illustrations a timeless quality. The text presents the folktale in an interesting manner. Often when stories are translated from other languages, some of the flavor of the original gets lost. This story seems to maintain the feeling of other Russian folktales, which usually center on peasants elevated to high social status or importnce. Baboushka becomes a sort of Santa Claus, bringing children presents at what we know as Christmas. It is a thoroughly enjoyable tale.