The Golden Mare,

                   

                      The Firebird, and

                           

                                 The Magic Ring

                                                                    

                                                                    by 

                                                                        Ruth Sanderson

Bluebonnet Award – 2003 Winner

Sanderson, R. (2001). The golden mare, the firebird, and the

 magic ring. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company.

EXPOSITION: This is a classic Russian folktale from long ago about a young huntsman named Alexi who spares the life of a beautiful golden mare his is about to shoot with his bow and arrow.  In appreciation, the mare reveals that she is magical and will help Alexi find a life of fulfillment and happiness.      

CONFLICT: With the mare’s help, Alexi becomes a huntsman in the service of the Russian tsar.  However, the tzar is jealous of Alexi and secretly decides to give him impossible tasks that he has to perform, with death as the penalty for failure.  

RISING ACTION: When the tzar orders Alexi to bring him a magical firebird that no one can catch, the golden mare helps Alexi fulfill this task.  The tzar puts the firebird in a cage and then orders Alexi to bring him a beautiful maiden named Yelena the Fair so the tzar can marry her, even though she does not want this.  Again the golden mare helps Alexi fulfill this task, although Alexi and Yelena fall in love with each other along the way.

CLIMAX: When the tzar says he wants to marry her, Yelena the Fair says she first needs a Magic Ring that lies at the bottom of the far-off Lake of the Sun.  Again, the tzar assigns this impossible task to Alexi who once more accomplishes it with the help of his golden mare.  

FALLING ACTION: When she has the Magic Ring, Yelena the Fair uses it to trick the tzar, changing him into a baby.

RESOLUTION: Now free of the threats from the tzar, Alexi and Yelena marry each other and rule the land.  They set the firebird free and the golden mare stays with them to help guide their reign with her sage advice.

WAS THIS A WELL-ILLUSTRATED BOOK?  Since the author, Ruth Sanderson, also illustrated her own book, it should be expected that the artwork would properly compliment the narrative – and it does.  The pictures accurately depict the Russian culture that is at the heart of this folk tale while also using colors that appropriately reflect the changing moods of the story.  So, dark shadings and earth tone colors are used for those moments when the characters are frightened or sad, while bright primary colors make magical characters like the firebird and the golden mare almost lift off the page.    

PICTURE SOURCES:

clipart-for-free.blogspot.com

runescape.com

geneseo.edu

usd489.com

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