The Tale of the Firebird

I collect children's book because many are like this one: an elegant and visual treat. Gennady Spirin does the most detailed illustrations and the borders of each page echo the story line. There is a dreamlike quality to the illustrations as they are not sharply defined but slightly misty. The theme of the youngest son triumphing is an old one and enjoyable with its Russian flavour here. This will be one of my special books to share with my grandchildren when they are older.

My son loves this book. Esecially since the wolf changes shapes. The detail and art is gorgeous and the story kep the attention of my 5 yr old, a very high spirited individual

Beautifully illustrated and very well written--an excellent present for any child. I bought this as a Christmas present for my friend's child. Nex Christmas I'm buying more of these books for other kids as presents. Absolutely stunning!

The artwork is fantastic, evocative, and gorgeous, combining a gold palette and northern winter-evening moonlit scenes, and featuring intricate folk art border illustrations. The tale is in some ways charming, including a sympathetic wolf, though there is no emotional or character development (It's more of a quick, amalgamated introduction to Russian fairytales), and it offers no lessons you'd want to impart to a child, other than: Go have adventures with a magical wolf at your back! (Also lurking in the story may be a morality tale for those in a position to run an imperialist power: Don't be afraid to buck cautious counsel and be acquisitive with regard to allies' possessions, but follow counsel when it comes to preparing for war. I sincerely doubt this is a useful lesson for your typical middle/working class kid, what with her/his lack of imperial power.) Plot synopsis: A magical, powerful wolf takes a few days out of his or her life to really help the fortunate youngest prince undertake successive adventures, culminating in the prince gaining all sorts of booty: a lovely mate, a golden-maned horse, a magical sword, kingdoms, adulation, and a spectacular peacock in a golden cage.

I am a big fan of Gennady Spirin's artwork. His FIREBIRD epitomizes classic Russian-style painting with it's ornate touches. He is a genius.