Review: MAGICAL FOLK TALES!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 14, 2014
Three exciting adventures! When the parents of ten-year-old Alex and his nine-year-old sister Katie have to go to Russia, the children are deposited for the summer holidays with their aunt Karina. And, boy, what a holiday! They go through a door in the fireplace, and discover a painting depicting a folk tale they can step into...They do this on three occasions, and each time the painting is different, each time there is a new adventure...On one occasion it is a portal into the mystical world of the Firebird and the magically-healing power of its feathers. But Alex and Katie forget to heed aunt Karina's warning not to linger after getting hold of a feather. Then their scary adventures begin...centred on a gnarled old witch, Baba Yaga. Another tale tells of the love between a fisherman and a princess; the children, with the aid of Leshi, a friendly hybrid, try to make sure everything turns out right for the two lovers, despite the opposition of the selfish tsar, the princess's father. The final story is of Masha, and her evil step-mother who sends her out into the forest to collect snowdrops. With the help of Father Frost, the children have to warn her about the storm that is coming. There are fantastic descriptions of a journey through the seasons. These are wonderfully-told tales, full of ingenuity, magic and humor. A delight.