When I was a little girl, I came into the possession of two Russian fairy tale books. I cannot recall exactly how I came to own them (I believe they were gifts), but I read them over and over again. The pictures were so lovely and the stories so interesting that I would often re-read them for hours.
My boys are bibliophiles as well, but in addition to actually reading their books, they usually tear them up. (Not deliberately - they usually play "library" with their books or leave them on the floor after pulling half their books off their shelf in order to find the one they want.) I've kept the fairy tale books away from the boys, but decided to bring them out for Russia Week to share some stories with them.
I'm sorry to report that they weren't all that interested, mostly because Russian stories (like many fairy tales from other cultures) are long, involved, and repetitive. I had hoped that they'd at least like the pictures, but maybe they are a bit too young to really appreciate them.
Your local library will probably have many books about Russia, but these are the two books I grew up with. You should be able to find them for purchase online or, if you are very lucky, at your local bookstore or library.
Russian Fairy Tales
Translated by Marie Ponsot
Illustrated by Benvenuti
Published 1987 by Ideals Publishing Corporation
ISBN: 0-8249-8160-X
The Three Kingdoms: Russian Folk Tales from Alexander Afanasiev's Collection
Illustrated by A. Kurkin
Published 1985 by Raduga Publishers
ISBN: 5-05-000056-4
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