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Princess Frog
tsar orders his three bachelor sons to shoot arrows as far as they can and whoever finds the arrows will become their brides. The youngest son, Prince Ivan, shoots his arrow into a swamp and it ends up in the mouth of a frog. Adhering to his father's wishes, Prince Ivan marries the frog, who ends up becoming the most clever daughter-in-law. One night, when the king holds a grand ball, the frog turns into Vasilisa the Wise, a beautiful young lady trapped by her father's spell. Excited by his wife's transformation, Prince Ivan throws away the ugly frog skin, not knowing that his hasty task would doom his wife to a terrible future. When she discovers that her skin has been discarded, Vasilisa turns into a swan and disappears. Distraught by her disappearance, Prince Ivan searches for her. After two years of searching, he uses the help of an old man and Baba Yaga to find his bride in the evil clutches of Koshchei the Invincible. When he reaches the kingdom beyond Blue Kingdoms, he kills the evil tsar and takes Vasilisa back to his father's kingdom, where they end up living happily ever after. |
The Magic Gold Fish
n old man catches a talking gold fish, which he kindly releases. His crotchety old wife keeps sending him back to the fish to ask for ever greater wishes, until she finally undoes herself by asking to become the fish's ruler. |
The tale of Tsar Saltan
hree sisters sit near a window and dream of marrying the tsar. Suddenly he appears in their room; he has overheard the youngest girl's wish to have a strong, brave son. Touched by what he has heard, he declares that he will marry her. Not wishing to separate her from her sisters, he invites the others to the court, one as a cook and one as a weaver, according to their expressed desires for fine food and clothes. But, as in all good folk tales, jealousy enters the picture. When the tsarina gives birth to a fine son, her sisters plot her downfall, and have her and her child placed in a barrel and sent out to sea. But enchantment and good nature overcome mean-spiritedness in the end, and the tsar is reunited with his wife and child. |
The little Humpbacked horse
wo older brothers, three courtiers, and even the Tsar himself attempt to outsmart young Ivan, whom everyone considers a simpleton. But Ivan proves to be a match for these challengers. Solving the mystery of the missing hay at home brings the gift of a humpbacked horse to the boyan animal with special powers and the gift of human speech. It is the tiny beast who helps Ivan through the impossible tasks that the greedy ruler sets before himincluding capturing the beautiful Tsarevna. Through a trick orchestrated by the Tsarevna and aided by the little horse, Ivan outwits (and eliminates) the Tsar and takes his well-earned place on the throne. |
Prince Ivan and the Firebird
ided by a large gray wolf while searching for the wondrous thieving firebird, Prince Ivan has a series of adventures and finally returns home with not only the firebird but also an extraordinary horse and a beauteous princess. |
Audiotape Russian Fairy Tales in English for little children. Price $6.00 |