A young noble woman has to rescue her foolish brother when the prince imprisons him for bragging about her! She disguises herself as a young mongol prince, and defeats the prince's knights in all of the contests her brother bragged about, and beats the prince himself at a game of chess. When she reveals her identity the prince realizes she really was wiser than him and better than his men, so he sets her brother free.

AGES: 6-12
SOURCE: home bookshelf ( )

This was a great Russia folktale, with the Russian equivalent of King Arthur, Prince Vladimir. Vassilisa outsmarts the prince and wins her husband's freedom from the dungeons. I particularly liked the presence of a strong female main character. I would use this during either a study of folklore or with a study of Russian history.
Reading Level: 4.1 Interest Level: K-3 ( )