Jane Yolen, like Eve Bunting, does not need my recommendations. I give them, anyway. I have never read anything by either of these authors that didn’t set my mind to spinning.
Finding Baba Yaga is pure poetry. That’s not a metaphor. It is a novella in verse with lines that soar: “The hallelujah chorus of birds,” and “Living well lasts longer than love.” As lovely as the writing is, read it for the story. Storytelling is what makes Yolen exceptional.
Finding Baba Yaga follows a runaway into the woods. It’s about questioned beliefs and finding ones own way. You’ll probably want to read it in one sitting. I did. This update of an old Russian fairy tale might also make you want to go back and revisit the original tales.
Sharon Edge Martin is a reading specialist, poet, and writer whose work has appeared in such magazines as Family Circle, Oklahoma Today, Outside, True West and in Michael Bugeja’s The Art and Craft of Poetry. She writes a weekly essay for Oklahoma Observer and is a frequent reader in Oklahoma’s spoken poetry scene. Her first picture book is Froggy Bottom Blues (2017). Her first full length book of poetry is Not a Prodigal (2018). When she isn't teaching poetry workshops or presenting at schools, you'll find her on the farm with her artist husband, a dog, two cats, and a couple dozen chickens.
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Arr, any publicity for us Baba Yagas it be good stuff! Keep it up.
Arr, any publicity for us Baba Yagas it be good stuff! Keep it up.
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