Reviews for The Tsar & the amazing cow
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Maria and Stefan are an old couple who have long grieved for their three daughters, who died as children. Then, at midsummer, Buryonka the cow begins giving miraculous milk that restores the couple's youth. Hearing reports of the miracle, the tsar commandeers the cow, but is so greedy that he drinks himself past babyhood into the life of his own great-great-great-grandfather, another tyrant--who sends Buryonka and her owners packing back to their farm; en route, the lost daughters are re-claimed, alive and well. Lewis retells this unusual Russian folk tale with humor and panache; the prizewinning Dutch illustrator's pen drawings washed in bright earth tones are vigorous, unsentimental, and well-designed, with an authentic Russian flavor in their details. A good addition to folklore collections; should be useful for telling or as a young reader. Copyright ŠKirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Ages 5-7. A peasant, Stefan, and his wife, Maria, have suffered tragedy in their life-the deaths of their three daughters. On Ivanov's Day, which marks midsummer, Stefan is talking to his cow, lamenting that his wife never laughs any more. To his surprise, the cow replies, ``Drink the milk, Master . . . it is magic.'' Stefan and Maria drink a glassful each, and the next morning the wrinkled couple wake up as 30-year-olds. Eventually, the czar hears of the wondrous milk and orders the cow to St. Petersburg. Along the way, the couple throws a handkerchief in three spots as the cow orders. Once they arrive in the city, the greedy czar gulps the cow's milk and gets younger and younger-until he disappears. The new czar sends Stefan, Maria, and the cow home; as they travel, they are thrilled to see their daughters alive once more, each standing where a handkerchief has fallen. This well-told tale is illustrated with expressive pen-and-ink over watercolor. The involving plot, which unfolds in folkloric style, results in an amusing story and will make an excellent read-aloud. IC. 398.2'45297358 Folklore-Soviet Union [CIP] 86-29255
Publishers Weekly
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One night Stefan, an old and unlucky peasant, hears his cow Buryonka advise him to ``Drink the milk, Master. It is more than milk now. It is magic.'' He's so surprised he falls off his milking stool. Drinking the milk makes him and his wife Maria suddenly youngand so famous that the frightful tsar demands they bring Buryonka to the palace. In the end of this jaunty tale, the tsar is punished for his greed; there's also a subplot concerning the peasants' three lost daughters, who are returned to life. Henstra's drawings fill the wide pages with picturesque farm buildings and curious observers. Buryonka, solidly drawn, is the image of faithfulness, but hardly magical-looking. One oddity about the illustrations: the tsar, a central figure, is upstaged by one of his courtiers, a tall, flamboyant man with no role in the action. Ages 4-8. (March) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
