Nesting Dolls: Two Tales of Heroism

"Every Hero Has A Story." My Blogging From A to Z theme bridges the summer library reading programs throughout the U.S. with storytelling opportunities, ideas, and activities.

These are my Matryoshka nesting dolls sitting atop our piano, awaiting to be stacked one within the other to tell tales of motherly and sisterly love for each other. Russia is known for creating the most beautiful, unique nesting dolls in all the world but having done a bit of research, the idea of nesting dolls goes all the way back to ancient China and Japan (1000 AD) where they depicted mythological and religious figures such as The Seven Lucky Gods. Savva Mamontov, a wealthy Russian patron of the arts noticed these stacking dolls and wanted to revive the Russian folk art in his country so he worked with an artist , Sergei Maliutin, and a craftsman, Vassily Zyiozdochkin and created the first Russian set of Matryoshkas.

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I chose two tales of heroism originally written down for children to enjoy and read over and over using the nesting dolls.

The Magic Nesting Doll by Jacqueline K. Ogburn, Laurel Long

Amazon's Summary of this tale: Katya's grandmother took a little matryoshka, a nesting doll, out of a small box. "If your need is great, open the doll and help will come. But you may only do so three times. After that the magic will be gone." A wicked spell has changed a handsome young prince to a pale glassy figure made of "living ice," and his kingdom to a frozen landscape of night without moon, darkness without dawn. Katya knows that it's up to her to rescue the prince and undo the evil spell that has banished the sun. Armed with only the magic nesting doll and her own valiant heart, she is determined to succeed. But will the combined effort of her courage and the mysterious nesting doll be strong enough to prevail? Laurel Long's radiant paintings and Jacqueline K. Ogburn's enchanting original tale were inspired by Russian folk art and stories. This talented duo has created a modern classic that honors its folklore heritage while depicting a world in which a girl can be anything, including a hero.

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The Littlest Matryoshka by Corinne Demas Bliss

Library Journal's Summary: Kindergarten-Grade 2-Created by a doll maker in Old Russia, a set of six nesting dolls travels to America and finds its way into a toy shop. When Nina, the littlest "sister," is accidentally brushed off a table, she begins a journey that rivals the Perils of Pauline. She is lost in a pile of snow, survives a waterfall, is threatened by a blue heron, gathered up by a squirrel, jostled down a drainpipe, and played with by a cat before she is discovered by Jessie, the young girl who had purchased the incomplete set. Bliss's story and text are most successful when they incorporate elements of traditional folklore: Although the narrative tends to be long-winded, it nevertheless makes for an effective read-aloud. Brown adopts a representational style and a palette consisting mostly of soft shades of blue, brown, and green. Against this pastel background, the nesting dolls-with their traditional bold red and yellow coloring-become the focus of each picture. The art does a credible job of capturing the action of the text but is less successful in establishing a consistent sense of time and place. Still, the adventure has definite appeal. A note on the history of these dolls is included.
Denise Anton Wright, Alliance Library System, Bloomington, IL 
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Resources

Please visit my blog post titled:
Nesting Dolls and Storytelling: Adding Detail to our Bare bones.