The Wise Doll by Hiawyn Oram illustrated by Ruth Brown

In this story there are three sisters. Two are horrid and very horrid and the third is named "Too Nice". Little Too-Nice is lonely, but her horrible sisters reject her and then, to get rid of her, they set a challenge that she must visit Baba Yaga and bring back a Toad in a jewelled jacket with a diamond collar. Too-Nice has a little doll that her mother gave her before she died. She asks the little doll for advice.

"put me in your pocket, listen to my advice whenever I have any and let's set out."

Too-Nice knocks on the door of Baba Yaga. The witch invites her in and tells her to wash the mountain of dishes by morning. If she fails, she will be cooked in the cauldron. Too-Nice works hard but there is no way she can complete all of this by morning. Her Doll tells her to rest and magically in the morning all the dishes are clean and stacked in neat piles. 

BUT as you would expect with any traditional tale there are more tasks ahead - three in total. Next the witch tells Too-Nice to sift through the dirt in the garden to find all the poppy seeds. This is another impossible task which her Doll is able to complete. The third challenge is to lay out the food and answer the important question.

"Now answer me correctly, or you will be my first course. What was it you came here for?"

How should she answer this question and will her answer mean she can take that toad home to her awful sisters and if she does give them the toad what on earth might happen next? Is there a way for this story to have that all important happy ending?

I read a few things about Baba Yaga:

• Baba Yaga is a witch or ogress from Slavic folklore who lives in a magical hut in the forest and either helps, imprisons, or eats people (usually children).
• Although she is usually the villain of any piece she appears in, she can also offer assistance and is understood as more of a trickster character who encourages transformation than the stock figure of an evil witch.
• Baba Yaga is probably best known from the story Vasilissa the Beautiful in which she inadvertently frees the heroine from the tyranny of her stepmother and stepsisters
• Baba Yaga is depicted as an enormous, ugly old woman who lives in a hut built on four tall chicken legs that can turn about or relocate on command. She is often seen draped over her stove or reclining in the hut across the entire expanse, with her large nose touching the ceiling. 
• There are a number of tales in which she acts as an agent of transformation, helping the heroine or hero toward self-actualization and the completion of a quest.

And a few things about Vasilissa the Beautiful:

• Vasilissa lives happily with her mother and father until she is eight years old when her mother falls ill and calls her to her deathbed, giving her a magical doll to help her through life. 
• She must always keep the doll with her, a secret from everyone else, and offer it food and drink whenever she faces some challenge in order to receive help.
• After her mother’s death, her father marries a woman with two daughters who is envious of Vasilissa’s beauty and abuses her, giving her harsh tasks, which her father can do nothing about since he is away on business trips. Vasilissa is only able to accomplish these tasks through the help of her doll.
• In hopes of getting rid of Vasilissa, her stepmother keeps sending her into the woods on errands: finally, Vasilissa is sent directly to Baba Yaga’s hut to ask for fire.
• Baba Yaga demands to know why the girl is there and agrees to give her fire in return for work. She assigns Vasilissa impossible tasks, which she is able to accomplish with her doll’s help.
• Baba Yaga sends her home with a skull containing the fire she was sent to fetch, and once it is brought into the house, it burns the evil stepmother and stepsisters to ashes.
• Baba Yaga acts as the catalyst for transformation. The doll performs all the impossible tasks given to Vasilissa, but it is Baba Yaga who assigns them, who warns the girl against asking too many questions (and so saves her from probing too far into dangerous territory), and who provides her with the skull that sets her free from her stepmother’s cruel tyranny.

Nearly all of these plot points are included in The Wise Doll. I am also sure you can easily make connections between this story and fairy tales like Cinderella. 

Good Reads blurb: A memorable Russian fairy tale to entrance and enchant. Ruth Brown's stunning illustrations accompany an extraordinary fairy tale about a little girl who, with the advice of her wise doll, escapes a truly terrifying witch and her slimy, child-gobbling toads. When Too Nice's evil sisters, Horrid and Very Horrid, force her to kidnap the witch Baba Yaga's jeweled toad, Baba Yaga devises a series of impossible tests for the little girl. If Too Nice passes them, she gets the toad, but if she doesn't -- the toad gets her Too Nice's only companion through the ordeal is the wise doll in her pocket, a gift from her mother, whose help leads to the miraculous completion of the tasks.

Superb artwork enhances this offbeat, minimalist retelling of the old Russian folktale in which Baba Yaga the witch is outwitted by an innocent little girl, with the help of a magic doll bequeathed to her by her now-dead mother. ... excellent witchy stuff. Kirkus

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything asked me to read The Wise Doll. She had it on her Halloween book display for over 3 weeks but sadly no child selected it for borrowing - should she keep this book in her library? Her copy is the first cover shown above.

Case for YES

• This is such a satisfying story which shows the rewards of hard work, bravery and trust.
• I love books about dolls and the idea that this doll has magical power bestowed by her late mother adds a beautiful emotional layer.
• The ending and final words are perfect.
• This book has the most OUTSTANDING illustrations. I cannot think of a book with a better or more scary witch illustration. 
• I think the first cover above is appealing - much better than the second cover from a more recent (out of print) edition. 

Here is a review: ‘Oram has a gift for pithy turns of phrase, compressing description into action and dialogue.  She has retold this story in eminently oral language. ... this is folklore justice as its finest.  Looking for stories with strong female protagonists?  Tell this one.’ Janice del Negro, editor The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books USA.

The Wise Doll reminded me of this book (which is one I adore to read aloud):

I have been a huge fan of Ruth Brown's illustrations from the time I discovered A Dark Dark Tale (1981) which I read to hundreds of young children in my school library (1984-2017). 

And I also love so many books by Hiawyn Oram especially In the Attic illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura. I also highly recommend her little junior book series 'Animal heroes' also sadly long out of print. 

Paper Dragon - The Fight for the Hidden Realm by Siobhan McDermott

 

"There are twelve skills needed to become a Cyo B'Ahon. Six to protect those you will watch over and six to achieve immortality. Each question you answered on your entrance exam was linked to one of these skills. Having a natural ability for one over the others is not enough. Without the twelve you will never make it as a Cyo B'Ahon."

Students need a natural aptitude in six areas: climate, calligraphy, concealment, flora, fauna and folklore. And they also need to be able to combine the skills essential for ageshifting - perception, prediction, perseverance, recall, reasoning and rapport.

Ageshifting - "This is one part of being a Cyo B'Ahon that we don't tend to broadcast. We're immortal yes, but not because our bodies are frozen in time. Instead we maintain immortality by ageshifting."

Harry Potter fans might have fun making links between this text and their favourite Harry Potter characters and plot twists.

• Harry Potter = Zhi Ging - she has a special magical and powerful gift and she has no idea where this came from. There is also a mystery surrounding the fate of her mother.
• Hogwarts = Hok Woh, the underwater realm of the immortals - a training school run like a boarding school with a cafeteria, classrooms, dorms, eccentric teachers, and range of classmates - some friendly some not. The first-year students are learning to become Silhouettes - many will fail.
• Quidditch = Dragon boat races 
• Draco Malfoy = Iridill - we discover she cheated the entrance exam and at every turn she is utterly despicable towards Zhi Ging. 
• Voldemort = Fui Gwai - and he/she has an army of thralls.

Readers who have strong reading stamina and who enjoy complex stories with lots of characters and dangerous situations might enjoy this book - I suggest age 11+. This first installment does end on a cliff hanger so readers will need to wait for book 2. You will also need reading stamina because this is a long book with a huge cast of characters and to my eye the print size is a little too small, so I found it hard to read for extended periods. The US cover looks more sophisticated and I think better matches the tone of, and audience for, this book. Huge thanks to Three Sparrows for the advance copy of this book which is due for release in February 2024. 

Sadly, I didn't find Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realms entirely captured my attention but I found these media reviews:

• 'A soaring, luminous new world ... An absolute delight!' Jessica Townsend
• 'An absolute feast for the senses!' Nizrana Farook
• 'A thrillingly immersive story of courage, self-discovery, and magic' Sinead O'Hart 

The US cover

Publisher blurb: An outsider in her village above the cloud sea, 12-year-old orphan Yeung Zhi Ging’s only hope of escape is to win the single invitation to train as a Silhouette: an apprentice to the immortals. After her ill-fated attempt to impress the Silhouette scout leads to a dragon attack on the jade mountain, Zhi Ging is sure that her chances, and her life, are over. But the scout spots her potential and offers her protection and a second chance. She’s in. In her lessons in Hok Woh, the underwater realm of the immortals, Zhi Ging must face the challenging trials set by her teachers to prove that she’s worthy of being a Silhouette—despite her rivals’ attempts to sabotage her. But as Zhi Ging’s power grows, so do the rumours of the return of the Fui Gwai, an evil spirit that turns people into grey-eyed thralls. When the impossible happens and the Fui Gwai attack the Silhouettes, can Zhi Ging use her newly uncovered talents to save her friends and the world beyond? Or will the grey-eyed spirit consume them all?

About the author: Siobhan McDermott was born in Hong Kong and grew up on a steady stream of stories filled with Chinese legends and Irish folklore from her Chinese mother and Irish father. She now lives in the UK and continues to order dim sum in Cantonese tinged with a distinctly Dublin lilt. She worked in publishing for six years, during which she took part in every event imaginable: from a ‘yoga with your dog’ session in a bookshop to running around Isle of Man in a full unicorn onesie. She is now the PR Lead at BBC Maestro. Paper Dragons is her debut novel and was inspired by moments across her life: from childhood ferry trips between Lantau Island and Hong Kong, to traveling around Taiwan, Italy and Spain.

The publisher suggests Paper Dragon will be enjoyed by fans of Amari and the Night Brothers, Dragon Mountain, Skandar and Eragon.

I didn't finish reading The Lost Ryu by Emi Watanabe Cohen but this could be another book to look for if you enjoy Paper Dragon: The fight for the Hidden realm

Kirkus review

Ling Li's Lantern by Steve Heron illustrated by Benjamin Johnston

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.” 

Martin Luther King Jr quoted by Steve Heron interview with Just Kid Lit

The wise man of the village has three children. He wants them to be good, kind and honest "but above all he wanted them to obtain wisdom."  Da Zhi sets his children a challenge. He takes them to the three pagodas and gives them each a small sum of money:

"With these coins, your task is to fill the emptiness of one of these pagodas with anything. You only have one day. Spend wisely."

The first son, Jingming, invests in huge quantities of bamboo. He pays workers to fill the pagoda right to the top with sticks and leaves. His father is pleased declaring this is a sound investment. The second son, Miao, buys feathers and down from a village duck farm. He fills the pagoda with sacks of feathers. His father is pleased with Miao's hard work.

The third child is Ling Li. She walks into the village where she sees a young boy sobbing because the eggs he was taking home have been dropped and all of them are broken. Ling Li takes his hand and back in the market she buys another basket of eggs for the boy. She continues to wander through the market where she sees a little girl who is lost and hungry. Ling Li buys the little girl some bamboo rice and then helps the child to find her mother. Next Ling Li sees a magician performing for the crowd. No one gives him any money - his bowl is empty so Ling Li gives him a few coins to thank him for his entertainment. Then Ling Li sees an old lady selling necklaces. After talking Ling Li with her discovers the lady has not sold any of her work today. 

"Ling Li placed a coin in her hand. ... Ling Li had bought a smile to everyone she met that day."

But what of the task set by her father? Ling Li only has two coins left and night is falling. She sees a lantern seller. Since it is the end of the day he agrees to sell her a lantern for her last two coins. She arrives home feeling that she has disappointed her father:

"Without a word, Da Zhi put his arm around Ling Li and led her inside. As they walked into the pagoda, Da Zhi held up the lantern. ... 'Not only have you filled the pagoda with the light from the lantern, you have also filled the village with the light from your heart. This is special wisdom."

When I start a post about a book I like to research the author and illustrator. I had not heard of Steve Heron or Benjamin Johnston but here are some things I discovered:

Steve Heron

• lives in Western Australia
• awarded an OAM for his contribution to the social and emotion well being of children
• he has published a middle grade novel in 2018 called Maximus

Benjamin Johnston

• is the illustrator of My Grandad marches on ANZAC Day
• he lives in Melbourne
• he is an architect

Take a look here to see some of the illustrations from Ling Li's Lantern. Look for a link to an extensive and thoughtful set of teaching notes for Ling Li's Lantern and a book trailer. I highly recommend Ling Li's Lantern as an essential purchase for a school library. I predict Ling Li's Lantern will be included in the CBCA 2021 Notable titles.

While the theme of this story may be familiar, it’s refreshing to read this modern interpretation which demonstrates that some values are timeless and universal. The Bottom Shelf

This beautiful story, reading like a fable telling us of the true nature of wisdom, the things learnt from the tale reflect Ling Li's traits; compassion, sharing, empathy, and these outshine those of her brothers only interested in making a sound investment. Read Plus

Like many of the best picture books, this is a deceptively simple tale, with a timely message of kindness. Charming Language

I found this extensive list of Chinese folktales many of which you are sure to find in a library. I would link Ling Li's Lantern with these books:

Nevermoor - The trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

"Death is boring.  Life is so much more fun. Things happen in life all the time. Unexpected things. Things you couldn't possibly expect because they're so very ... unexpected."

There is quite a buzz in the children's literature world about Nevermoor.  I actually bought a copy the week it was released but then I gave it away to a friend before I even had a chance to begin reading.  I picked up another copy last week from my local bookshop.  Last night and today I devoured the whole 450 pages.  This is such a great story with so many inventive ideas, scenes and memorable characters.

You can read more about the plot here.  I thought I might just share a few of the very special moments that I enjoyed :

The opening sentence filled me with curiosity - "The cat was dead and Morrigan was to blame."

The Ages are marked by the Skyfaced Clock - "... a round glass face, with an empty sky inside that changed with the passing of the age - from the palest-pink dawn light of Morningtide, ...  into the dusky, darkening blue of the Gloaming ... and the fifth and final colour of its cycle: the inky, star strewn blackness of Eventide."  Eventide is marked as the time Morrigan will die, that is until Jupiter North rescues her and transports her to Nevermoor.

Morrigan has to go through four trials spread out over the year. in order to become a member of the Wundrous Society.  There are 500 candidates this year.

1.  Book Trial to see who is honest and quick thinking
2.  The Chase Trial to see who is tenacious and strategic
3.  The Fright Tial to see who is brave and resourceful
4.  The Show Trial

This fourth trial is the most terrifying one.  Morrigan has to demonstrate her talent, skill, knack or gift.  Morrigan is convinced she does not have anything to share.  When you read about the performances of her fellow competitors you are sure to gasp.  In these final chapters Jessica Townsend's inventive writing really soars. I won't spoil this section except to say read Chapter 21 and then read it again.

For the Chase Trial all the competitors wear white.  This is because they have to ride a living steed with no fewer than two legs and no more than four and as they ride they have to strike a target. "Each one blasted a cloud of brightly coloured powder all over the candidate's face and clothes."  There is some talk Nevermoor will be made into a movie - this is a scene that is sure to be spectacular.

For the Book Trial, the answer books catch on fire when the children do not deliver 'correct' answers.  I relish words like conflagrated, tendril, impertinent and pristine and all of these are in just one scene in one chapter.

Jessica Townsend has really balanced her characters - Morrigan has so many worries and such low self-esteem, Jupiter North lightens every scene with his quirky comments and positive outlook, Hawthorne is a perfect friend and the Magnificat Fenestra is simply marvelous.

Here are some excellent teachers notes by Robyn Sheahan-Bright.  Read some connections between Nevermoor and the Harry Potter series.  Here is an interview with Jessica. You can hear and see the author reading an extract from her book.  I am sure this book will feature on the CBCA short list for 2018.

There will be a sequel but I am happy to say enough is resolved at the end of this first installment to leave you satisfied and not in despair that you will have to wait for book 2.

Whimsical worldbuilding, humorous dialogue, and colorful supporting characters complement an adventurous, magic-filled plot that champions bravery, self-confidence, and hope.   Publisher's Weekly

The magic of Nevermoor is shiveringly, thrillingly wonderful. Open its pages and discover a hotel room that changes to suit your personality, a large talking cat with exactly the right amount of cattitude, and children with awe-inspiring magical abilities. This novel is an absolute treat.   Readings

Mary's Penny by Tanya Landman illustrated by Richard Holland

When a new book is cataloged in our library we sometimes need to check other titles by the same author.  Last week we were looking for our books by Tanya Landman.  We had two others and one was Mary's Penny. It looked intriguing and the subject of stereotypes always interests me.

This is a terrific book which reads almost like a folktale.  There is a charming repeated refrain "in the golden, olden days".

A farmer has three grown up children - two boys and a girl. The farmer wants to decide who should run his farm.  "Franz or Hans? Hans or Franz? All day long the names went round and round in his head.  It didn't occur to him to think of Mary."  But he should have considered Mary because she has a special secret something - she has brains.

Each boy is given a penny and they must use their penny to buy something "that will fill the whole house". Franz buys a cart load of straw but it does not quite fill the whole house.  Hans buys feathers but they don't quite reach the ceiling.  Finally Mary boldly asks for her penny so she can try to win the challenge.  The farmer reluctantly gives Mary his last penny.  Mary uses her Penny very wisely ( as we all knew she would) but the things she buys might surprise you.  Mary fills the house and the farmer agrees Mary should run the farm.

I have been talking with our Grade 5 students about women's suffrage.  One of the aspects of this topic that students find confusing is why politicians blocked women from voting.  Mary's Penny will be the perfect addition to our discussion about equal rights.  You might also enjoy Ever Clever Eva.