The Littlest Matryoshka

Rating:
Summary: Sweet and fun introduction to Russian nesting dolls
Review: Although the set of coincidences leading to the happy ending is far-fetched enough to raise a toddler's eyebrows, this sweet story extolling the sisterhood bond is a favorite in our home. The matryoshkas, or nesting dolls, have human emotions. They grieve the loss of their littlest sister, the center doll carved from the heart of the wood. Yet their inability to behave as people do leaves them helpless. "They could not lift their painted arms to reach out..." After the littlest matryoshka is reunited with them, the young girl who owns the dolls places them in a circle so that each can look at her sisters' faces and rejoice. Only then do the dolls' painted smiles really mean something.

Each of the dolls is given a name. Several times throughout the story, their stacking order is chanted. "Nina inside Nadia, and Nadia inside Vanda," and so on. This repetition helps make the story a fun read-aloud book for young children.

Kathryn Brown's watercolor illustrations are not only cute, they also teach the reader something about matryoshka costuming. When we first meet the toy maker crafting the matryoshka set, each doll's outfit is being decorated slightly more elaborately than the previously painted doll. Similarly, their faces are drawn with progressively more detail. Though the difference between any two consecutive dolls is hardly remarkable, the cumulative effect of adding increasingly more decorations is apparent when they are lined up next to each other. Reading this book just once helps the novice gain new appreciation for the subtleties involved with this old Russian folk art tradition.

In summary, this is a delightful book that will be appreciated by children and adults alike.

Rating:
Summary: A lovely book.
Review: I bought this book hot off the presses and sight unseen just because I like matryoshka dolls, and was not disappointed. My five-year-old enjoys it very much also. Both the story and illustrations are high quality. A Russian craftsman makes the nesting doll, then ships it to a toy store America, where the littlest doll is lost. A girl buys the dolls, takes them home, and eventually - accidentally- the littlest doll finds her sisters again in a rather implausible ending. Anyone who has ever loved a matryoshka doll will appreciate the story (those little ones do get lost easily)! The illustrations are brightly colored and realistic. Overall, an appealing book to own or give as a gift.