The Tale of The Firebird
As elegant as any imperial treasure, this sumptuously  illustrated book showcases Spirin's (The Sea King's Daughter;  Philipok) near-magical artistry. Here he adapts three Russian  fairy tales to coin his own version of the story of the tsar's  son and his quest for the dazzling firebird. This prince  receives aid from a big gray wolf, who helps him through a  number of trials, even though the prince doesn't always follow  his instructions. Their adventures take them to far-off  kingdoms, to Baba Yaga's chicken-footed cottage and to the  battlefield of Koshchei the Immortal. Ultimately,  Ivan-Tsarevitch not only finds the firebird but also rescues and  wins the hand of princess Yelena the Beautiful. The cadences are  stately ("In a moment, the wolf had transformed himself into a  warrior's horse so great and strong that it cannot be described,  either with words or with a brush"), and the artwork is some of  Spirin's most exquisite. Some of his watercolors are shaped like  triptychs or altarpieces, others stretch across both pages like  tapestries. The central compositions twinkle and glow as if  dusted with gold leaf; twining about the text, the borders are  intricately detailed but wrought in an airier, more open style  that recalls the folk origins of the story. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.