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The Littlest Matryoshka
Description
Follow one brave doll’s journey home after she’s separated from her nesting doll sisters, in this cozy, classic story beloved for over 25 years.
In a small shop in a snowy village in Russia, Nikolai the doll maker was carving his last matryoshka. From one piece of soft wood he shaped six nesting dolls, each one fitting inside the other. They all opened in the middle and were hollow inside, except for the littlest. She was the size of a bumblebee and she was made of the heart of the sweet-smelling wood.
When the littlest matryoshka falls from the toy shop shelf, she worries she’ll never see her sisters again. A little girl buys the remaining dolls at half price and takes them home. But the smallest doll won’t give up, so she sets off on a perilous journey. She’s carried off in a truck, swept along a stream, and caught in a waterfall. Will she find her way home?
An Author’s Note at the end of the book shares the history of Russian nesting dolls.
In a small shop in a snowy village in Russia, Nikolai the doll maker was carving his last matryoshka. From one piece of soft wood he shaped six nesting dolls, each one fitting inside the other. They all opened in the middle and were hollow inside, except for the littlest. She was the size of a bumblebee and she was made of the heart of the sweet-smelling wood.
When the littlest matryoshka falls from the toy shop shelf, she worries she’ll never see her sisters again. A little girl buys the remaining dolls at half price and takes them home. But the smallest doll won’t give up, so she sets off on a perilous journey. She’s carried off in a truck, swept along a stream, and caught in a waterfall. Will she find her way home?
An Author’s Note at the end of the book shares the history of Russian nesting dolls.
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Praise
“The adventure has definite appeal.”
—School Library Journal
“Like Nina, who was ‘made of the heart of the sweet-smelling wood,’ this picture book was crafted of emotional heart wood, and children will respond to its essential goodness.”
—Booklist
“With illustrations quaint enough for Christmas cards, an author's note that explains the history of nesting dolls, and a story reminiscent of The Tin Soldier, Bliss's (Matthew's Meadow) picture book will especially please collectors of Russian matryoshkas."
—Publishers Weekly
“An author's note on the history of matryoshkas is a welcome touch.”
—Kirkus Reviews