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The Story of Babushka by Catherine Flores




 

SYNOPSIS:


Babushka wants to find out the meaning of life so she sends her bodies out of the forest and into the world to search for answers. 


WHAT IS A BABUSHKA?

The babushka doll, also known as a matryoshka or Russian nesting doll, is a traditional Russian toy first made over 100 years ago. The doll has come to symbolise Russian folk culture, as well as the complex and beautiful layers of women. There are some babushka dolls with as many as fifty dolls nested inside.








This is the story of one very special babushka doll and her five bodies.

There was the outermost body, Antonia. She was pure beauty. Everyone who saw her admired her good looks.







Beneath that body of beauty hid Loretta, who was richly adorned. She wore gold ornaments, and her green robe was decorated with many different gems that glittered like the ocean on a sunny day.




Hidden within the rich body was Paula, the body that held all Babushka's talents. Whatever Paula did, she was sure to succeed. She knew how to work and always did so with joy and determination.




Within the talented body was Viola, the body of wisdom. Viola knew a lot about the world and learned very quickly. She was always full of brilliant ideas and had clever solutions for every problem.





The last body, the smallest of all, was Mary, the embodiment of love. Mary had a warm and compassionate heart and was very helpful. She could dry tears and mend broken hearts.



Together, these bodies formed the complete Babushka.


Reading this book, you will learn about:


- The value of friendship and love.

- That financial wealth alone cannot make someone happy.

- Not to judge outer appearance.

- To recognise a person's value and much more

 

My Thoughts:

I have always been fascinated by Russian nesting dolls and loved playing with one as a child so when I saw The Story of Babushka I jumped at the chance to read and review it. This book is so rich in colour from the title pages to the illustrations, it is a book I would have treasured in my childhood and cannot help picking it up as an adult and flicking through the pages. The premise of the story - finding the meaning of life, is so powerful and can provoke a lot discussions with the children who you are sharing the book with. As each body leaves to find her purpose or calling in life you are able to explore the individual qualities in each of the dolls; once again leading to valuable discussion points. I loved how the values (determination, perseverance, resilience - to name a few) and qualities of each of the characters shone through in the book, highlighting the importance of love and friendship, being true to yourself and valuing yourself and others. This book would be a great teaching tool to use in the classroom or for assemblies, especially with the accompaniment of the resources (colouring and character profiles) from the website - link below.


Madison's Thoughts (aged 7):

This book was really good and it represented that you can be a good person on the inside. It also taught me that you should always listen to your heart and be with the people who make you happy. I loved the pictures as there was so much colour in them. My favourite picture was the last page as it was a happy page with all the bodies back together and I liked seeing all the details that matched each doll.


I really want my own Babushka doll now.


Many thanks to Kelly at Love Book Tours and Catherine Flores for inviting me to join the blog tour. This was such a fun blog tour which I thoroughly enjoyed reading with my daughter and reviewing. I will now take this into school with me and share with my class.

 

About The Author:

Since quitting her full-time job at a branding communication agency in Zurich, Catherine has gone on to become a successful freelance designer and a children’s author. She spends most of her time on the small island of Madeira with her family, spending her time growing vegetables in her garden and working for clients from around the world.

She is currently working on the follow up to the 2020 release of “The Story Of Babushka”




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Free colouring in downloads for your readers - 



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