The Magic Nesting Doll by Jacqueline K Oburn illustrated by Laurel Long

Katya is gifted a matryoshka, a nesting doll, by her grandmother.

"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. Keep the doll and remember me."

Right from those words I knew Katya would use her gift wisely and unselfishly and I also knew I was in the realm of a fairytale because there are going to be a pattern of three. 

Just like in the famous story of The Snow Queen, Katya arrives in a city that is under the spell of perpetual winter, it is always night and there is no moon or dawn. The young Tsar (Tsarvetich) has been turned into living ice. He is watched over by his uncle the Grand Vizier.

"They took her into the chamber of the frozen prince. Katya had never seen a man so beautiful. His full lips were pale blue and his glassy hands long and fine. He hair glistened like frost. The only sign that he was not a statue carved of ice was the faint cloud of breath and the slight stirring of his chest."

I guess you are jumping ahead and thinking Katya will be the one to break this spell - and yes, she does but she will need help. And yes, that Grand Vizier is not to be trusted. Katya is thrown into the dungeon. It is time to use her first nesting doll - a bear. Now the snow is gone but the prince is still in his deathly sleep.

Next Katya is banished to a ravine - time to use her doll - this time the help comes from a wolf. The prince gains a little colour to his face as the moon once again appears in the sky and the Grand Visier is himself beginning to freeze. The third test comes when Katya is taken to the top of a remote mountain. Her third doll is the firebird. "Who better than a firebird to bring back the sun?"

Katya returns to the prince expecting to see him awake but alas, even though is restored - his hair is brown, his skin is warm - he is still in a deep sleep. What will she do? Be still my romantic heart!

The details of snow, birds, clothing, plants, and animals, and the lavish designs in the architecture and in the interiors, in combination with the appealing story, simply and economically told, but rich in archetypes, make this a book to be enjoyed over and over again. Kirkus

This book is from 2000 so it is 26 years old BUT it might be in your local or school library - that is a major joy of libraries that you can find 'old' treasures like this book. And I don't mean 'old' in the sense of old fashioned or outdated or worn out - I mean an 'old' book because it was published a long while ago. Of course, the story in this book is fairytale and so it is utterly timeless. I expect this Russian story has been told in many other books and forms.

Bookseller blurb: 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, dark 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 her courage and the mysterious nesting doll be strong enough to prevail? Laurel Long's dazzling jewel-like paintings and Jacqueline K. Ogburn's romantic 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.

Back when this book was first published you could buy a set of nesting dolls to match the story!

Companion books:

The Quilt Makers Gift

Cherry blossom and the Golden Bear

The Glassmakers' Daughter

Jacqueline K. Ogburn is a children's book author whose work frequently explores folklore, mythology, and creative uses of language. After earning bachelor's degrees in English and philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she held various positions before spending a decade in New York City book publishing, primarily as a children's book editor at houses including Lothrop, Lee & Shepard and Dial Books for Young Readers. Following her move to North Carolina to raise her family, she began a second career writing picture books, where her background in editing and lifelong interest in stories shaped her approach to imaginative narratives. Ogburn's earlier titles demonstrate her engagement with mythological traditions and inventive storytelling, including retellings of Russian folklore in The Magic Nesting Doll and a Brothers Grimm-inspired tale in The Lady and the Lion, as well as original stories that blend whimsy with cultural elements. 

Laurel Long is the illustrator of many books for children, including Hans Brinker by Bruce Coville, The Magic Nesting Doll by Jacqueline K. Ogburn and The Lady & The Lion, a Grimm story. Her picture book, The Mightiest Heart by Lynn Cullen was awarded the Gold Medal by the Society of Illustrators. ... Laurel Long is a Professor in the Art Department at California State University, Northridge.

Here are some illustrations from The Magic Nesting Doll: