Here's a book to add to your shelf of Russian tales: Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave, as told by Marianna Meyer; illustrated by Kinuko Y. Craft.

It's obvious by the cover image that the illustration is gorgeous. The story, a retelling of one of the Vasilisa tales, is also gorgeous.

Vasilisa has something of a Cinderella story: she has a cruel stepmother and two evil stepsisters and she's doomed to clean their house and do whatever they say once her kindly but unlucky-in-love father passes away. The more cruel her stepfamily is to Vasilisa, the more kind, gentle, and strong she becomes. (She borders on too-good-to-be-true, honestly, but all these heroines share these features.)

Now, before Vasilisa's mother died long, long ago, she made her daughter a doll. She told Vasilisa that if she ever needed anything she should ask the doll, since the doll was made from her mother's love. The doll comforts Vasilisa, but not just because it was from her mother, but because the doll is actually alive. At night, when her evil sisters are sleeping, the dolls eyes glow and it whispers comforting things in Vasilisa's ear.

Time goes by and eventually all the girls reach the age to marry. The stepmother realizes she'll never be able to marry off her two ugly diaghters with Vasilisa around (besides being super good and super brave, she is also super beautiful) so she comes up with an evil plan. She sends Vasilisa to Baba Yaga's house to borrow a light for the candles. Baba Yaga is the most evil and strong witch of all.

Vasilisa goes (bringing her little doll, of course) and on the way some magical things happen. Needless to say, she is not defeated and eaten and tortured by Baba Yaga (in whatever order) but instead returns home triumphant.

This book is perhaps a little scary for the littlest ones, but I bet any child over seven would appreciate Vasilisa's tale.