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Sep 25, 20203 min read

The Story of Babushka

by Catherine Flores

 

SYNOPSIS A beautifully illustrated book, with a magnificent story that children and tweens will love. Babushka wants to find out the meaning of life so she sends her bodies out of the forest and into the world to search for answers.  WHAT IS A BABUSHKA? The babushka doll, also known as a matryoshka or Russian nesting doll, is a traditional Russian toy first made over 100 years ago. The doll has come to symbolise Russian folk culture, as well as the complex and beautiful layers of women. There are some babushka dolls with as many as fifty dolls nested inside. This is the story of one very special babushka doll and her five bodies. There was the outermost body, Antonia. She was pure beauty. Everyone who saw her admired her good looks. Beneath that body of beauty hid Loretta, who was richly adorned. She wore gold ornaments, and her green robe was decorated with many different gems that glittered like the ocean on a sunny day. Hidden within the rich body was Paula, the body that held all Babushka's talents. Whatever Paula did, she was sure to succeed. She knew how to work and always did so with joy and determination. Within the talented body was Viola, the body of wisdom. Viola knew a lot about the world and learned very quickly. She was always full of brilliant ideas and had clever solutions for every problem. The last body, the smallest of all, was Mary, the embodiment of love. Mary had a warm and compassionate heart and was very helpful. She could dry tears and mend broken hearts. Together, these bodies formed the complete Babushka. Reading this book, you will learn about: - The value of friendship and love. - That financial wealth alone cannot make someone happy. - Not to judge outer appearance. - To recognise a person's value and much more


REVIEW If you follow my blog and social media accounts then you will probably know that this is a very different review to the types of books I normally post about. The Story of Babushka is a children's illustrated book based around the traditional Russian nesting dolls and the folk tales surrounding them.


My background is in the design industry and I work as a graphic designer, so when I saw this book I was immediately drawn to the stunning cover and illustrations. The colours and images are gorgeous and really make the book stand out as a fantastic choice for a gift, and it would certainly make some amazing instagram worthy photos!


The second reason I was drawn to the book is that I am from Wales and have always loved reading 'Chwedlau', which are the traditional Welsh language folk tales and legends. I thought it would be interesting to read similar stories from different cultures to see how they differ. The message behind this story is about finding your purpose in life and learning about different values and what things are really important. The Welsh folk tales are quite dark so even though there were important messages in this story, it was much lighter to read and probably easier to grasp for younger children.


I love the idea of being able to share this with my daughter when she is older, I am currently building a collection of books for her and The Story of Babushka will now have a permanent spot on her bookshelf. I have also printed the free colouring sheets from the author's website for her to go with the book. This is such a fantastic idea as it means I can base some activities around the story as well as reading with her.


I have included some images from the book below, after seeing these I'm sure I don't need to say much more, but it is a definite 5 stars from me!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Since quitting her full-time job at a branding communication agency in Zurich, Catherine has gone on to become a successful freelance designer and a children’s author. She spends most of her time on the small island of Madeira with her family, spending her time growing vegetables in her garden and working for clients from around the world.

She is currently working on the follow up to the 2020 release of “The Story Of Babushka”

SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram: Author: www.instagram.com/JourneytoFantastic

 

Thanks to Catherine Flores @StoryofBabushka @AuthorFlores @ACLCreative_ @lovebooksgroup #lovebookstours for the opportunity to read and review.

Fiction: Folk Tales / Children's Literature

Product format: Hardback

ISBN: 978-1527260290

Pages: 120 pp

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