Busy cleaning her house one winter's night, Babushka doesn't see the star in the sky, or hear her neighbors cries of awe. But when three richly-dressed men stop at her home to rest, she feeds them her soup and listens to their tales of a newborn baby, the Prince of Peace and Lord of Light, whom they seek. Declining their invitation to accompany them on their quest, she soon comes to regret her decision, and gathering all manner of gifts, sets out in their footsteps. In the process, she encounters many children in need, dispensing gifts to them along her way...

This story, which is often erroneously presented as a traditional Russian folktale, has been presented in a number of other picture book versions, including Ruth Robbins and Nicolas Sidjakov's Caldecott Medal-winning Baboushka and the Three Kings, Charles Mikolaycak's Babushka: An Old Russian Folktale, Arthur Scholey and Helen Cann's Baboushka: A Christmas Folktale from Russia, and Elena Pasquali and Lucia Mongioj's The Tale of Baboushka: A Traditional Christmas Story. I say erroneously because apparently this story does not have its roots in Russian lore, and does not actually reflect a Russian tradition involving a holiday gift-giver. The story is very similar to traditional folktales from Italy (see Tomie dePaola's The Legend of Old Befana), as well as the Dominican Republic (see Julia Alvarez & Ruddy Núñez' El mejor regalo del mundo: La Leyenda De La Vieja Belen / The Best Gift of All: The Legend of La Vieja Belen), but I have it from reliable sources that there is no Russian variant of the story. Rather, this Russified version of the tale comes from American author Edith M. Thomas' 1907 poem Babushka (A Russian Legend), taken from her collection, Children of Christmas. I am unsure as to Thomas' sources, but apparently there was also a play based upon her poem.

In any case, although not actually a Russian tale, I have retained this on my "Russian folklore" shelf, simply because it is so often described and cataloged that way, and because it is of interest, I think, to those interested in the subject. Leaving all that aside, I found this version by British author/illustrator team Dawn Casey and Amanda Hall quite lovely, and I enjoyed reading the story, and perusing the soft, pastel illustrations, done in watercolor and crayon. Although I cannot recommend it as a folktale, I do recommend it to those seeking Christmas fairy tales for younger children. ( )

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley. ( )

This retelling of a Russian Folktale was very well done. Babushka is a very busy old woman who is visited by the Three Kings or Wisemen. They tell her about the birth of the baby and ask if she wants to go with them, but she says she is too busy. After cleaning up after them, she decides to go and find the baby. She packs a basket with gifts of toys, food, and blankets and sets off. She never finds the baby, but along her journey she finds people who need her gifts and she gives them to those in need. She continues to journey giving gifts today as her basket never empties. The illustrations are wonderful, colourful and vibrant. This would be an excellent addition to any family's Christmas library as well as being useful in a unit of Christmas cultures and traditions around the world.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Beautifully illustrated children's book about the legend of a kindly grandmother who brings gifts to those in need.

[I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.]
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Great book to support diversity within the classroom! This book is very heart warming and encourages emotionally development as people should be nice to others.