The Flying Witch

The Flying Witch

Whirr. Whirr. Clunkety-clank Here comes Baba Yaga! Flying her mortar and pestle, the witch with the long iron nose scours the countryside for plump young children to eat. But will she be a match for the fiesty little girl she hopes to throw into her soup? New York Times best-selling author Jane Yolen has created a clever, original story based on hundreds of traditional Russian folktales about the famed scary old witch. Vladimir Vagin's remarkably detailed borders and intricate scenes will give readers chills and laughs as they read this witty tale. Kindergarten-Grade 3-"Whirrr. Whirr. Clunkety-clank." Baba Yaga flies across a moonlit sky over a verdant forest in her mortar and pestle, and readers can almost hear the whistling and shrieking of the wind as she slices through it. Yolen's vivid writing reflects the flavor of the original tales and comes alive with repetition of key phrases throughout the text. The author wisely injects humor to lighten up her version of the witch who scours the forest while seeking children to eat and thus provides a refreshingly original twist to the tale. She invents a fast-thinking heroine who uses her wits to defeat the witch, even spoon-feeding her at the end. Vagin's illustrations highlight the humor in the text. For instance, Baba Yaga flies upside down with garlic cloves and herbs tumbling from her pockets; and her nose is comically painted as a sharply pointed piece of steel-gray iron. Dappled sunlight on many pages and an especially lovely pastel-colored rainbow in the capture scene complement the mood and ending of the story. Detailed source notes appear on the last page. Use this tale with William Steig's Shrek! (Farrar, 1993) for a deliciously amusing romp with funny, spooky stories. James K. Irwin, Poplar Creek Main Library, Steamwood, IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. PreS-Gr. 2. Baba Yaga a vegetarian? In this original story about the Russian folktale witch, Baba Yaga travels via her mortar and pestle, lives in a house set on chicken legs, and, stuck with nothing but watery soup, longs to eat a plump child. It seems she may get her chance for a good meal after a little girl falls from her father's turnip truck and into the witch's clutches. The clever child buys some time by convincing Baba Yaga to fatten her up with turnips. The child's father catches on when the witch shows up to buy his goods. By the time he comes to the rescue, the girl has cooked a turnip stew so "hot and filling" that Baba Yaga has changed her tune: it's "better than plump children." Compared with some of the original tales, this is "thin soup," with an inconsistent, somewhat strained plot. But there are some nice storytelling flourishes and some well-detailed artwork, with the feel of old Russia, perfectly suits the story. Many libraries will welcome this nonviolent New Age Baba Yaga. Linda Perkins Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Jane Yolen is one of the acknowledged masters of fantasy today. She is the author of more than two hundred books for children and adults. Her young adult novel The Devil's Arhtmetic won the Jewish Book Council Award. Her children's book Owl Moon, illustrated by John Schoenherr, was awarded the Caldecott Medal; her fantasy novels Sister Light, Sister Dark and White Jenna were both short-listed for the Nebula; and she's won the Nebula twice for short stories. She has also won the World Fantasy Award, the Christopher Medal twice, and the Golden Kite Award. She has written two previous books in the Young Heroes series with Robert J. Harris, Odysseus in the Serpent Maze and Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons. Jane Yolen lives with her husband in western Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.