Gennady Spirin's The Tale of the Firebird , translated by Tatiana Popova and illustrated by Gennady Spirin, is another gorgeous Russian-themed picture book.

Spirin is a Russian-born illustrator who came to the United States in 1991 at the invitation of Philomel and Dial Press and he's done a number of beautiful books since then. The Tale of the Firebird is no exception.

The story is the take of Ivan-Tsarevitch, the youngest son of Tsar Vasilyi, who is sent on a journey to find the magic firebird that's been eating the golden apples from the Tsar's orchard. Ivan-Tsarevitch undergoes a number of trials and errors, including going up against the most evil witch of all, Baba Yaga. With the help of a friendly wolf and a great deal of luck and magic, Ivan-Tsarevitch prevails in the end.

As I said, the illustrations are gorgeous in this book but to be honest, the tale itself doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense. Ivan-Tsarevitch makes a number of mistakes and he gets out of the scrapes because the people he crosses know his father. He reminded me a little of the archetypal Ivan the Fool found in a lot of the Russian folk tales, although this Ivan is not foolish and as the son of a Tsar he is a bit removed from the the peasant Ivan who usually shows up.

Bottom line: get this book if you're a collector, but if not, pass.