Charles Mikolaycak (1937–1993)

The vivid illustrations help transport the reader into the world of Babushka, which is quite vibrant and rich for a peasant's life in Russia. One can almost feel the snow in the air, and the art suggests the magic and miracle of a night in which three wise men follow a bright star to look for a new King. Babushka elects to stay home and clean her cottage, realizing only the next day that something important has happened. We follow Babushka all over the world, to villages and households of different cultures and languages, as she searches for the child King. She leaves presents and sweets everywhere she goes, hoping to find the child. This would be a great book to read aloud to younger kids, and is also appropriate for middle/upper elementary children to compare with the Santa Claus legend and introduce other cultural traditions around Christmas. It also helps to show how religious/historical events can inspire additional legend. The retelling of this story never uses the classic phrase "three wise men" or the word "Christ." I think this can be used to help children use clues to discover what classic story this tale is telling without revealing it up front.… (más)

Taken from the Greco-Roman tradition, this beautiful picture book relates the tragic story of Orpheus, a mortal who attempts to win his beloved wife, Eurydice, back from the dead, using the extraordinary power of his voice and lyre.

It is always fascinating to witness the adaptation of classical Greek and Roman mythology, so full of sexuality and disturbing violence, for the modern childhood reader. Mikolaycak is to be commended for retaining some more disquieting elements, as at the end of this book, when the crowd beats Orpheus to death for his refusal to play for them. Some latter parts of the myth, in which Orpheus is credited with establishing the institution of pederasty, are (understandably) omitted.

Mikolaycak, an artist of great power, has crafted a beautiful book with Orpheus. I thought that it was a bold move to have partial nudity in the illustrations, as most children's books with a classical theme make heavy use of strategically-placed "drapery." Another point of interest was the use of selected lyrics from Monteverdi's opera L'Orfeo in the text.

Although I approve of this picture book from both an artistic and mythological-folkloric perspective, I think that parents might want to be aware of its more disturbing elements, as enumerated above. This might not be a book to read to very young children...… (más)