Simply Read Books Grade 1-4-Alyosha is a good boy who, while at boarding school, saves the life of his favorite black hen. Blackey is actually an ambassador from an underground magical kingdom of little people whose king richly rewards the child with a wish. Unwisely, the boy asks to know all the answers at school without having to study, thus beginning a downward spiral of events in which he becomes arrogant and betrays the little people's secret. This is a somber cautionary tale written in 1829 for the author's nephew, Alexei Tolstoi. The retelling reads smoothly and the illustrations beautifully evoke the era in Russia-detailed architecture and period costumes with a formal, portraitlike quality. The subdued palette of grays, greens, and creams evokes both the melancholy time in history and the tragic events of the story itself. Though this is an unusual fable, and it might be difficult to imagine a child reading it, there is redemption and hope by the end, which students can understand, discuss, and ultimately appreciate. Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Gr. 1-3. Words of caution go unheeded in this sober nineteenth-century tale, written for Alexei Tolstoi by his uncle. A kind boy named Alyosha befriends a hen at his St. Petersburg boarding school and ultimately saves it from the cook's knife. In gratitude, the hen (an ambassador for the magical kingdom of little people who live underground) takes him to the king, who grants him one wish. Impulsively, Alyosha wishes to know all the answers at school without studying. The king frowns at the boy's laziness, but dutifully gives him a seed of corn that will grant his wish, warning him to guard the secret of the subterranean kingdom. But Alyosha grows cocky, loses the seed, loses face, and ultimately betrays the little people. Can he redeem himself? Spirin's exquisite, classically styled paintings, many like portraiture, perfectly capture the time and mood of this dark but strangely riveting tale. It warns of the terrible consequences of broken promises but also offers forgiveness and second chances. Karin Snelson Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Antony Pogorelsky was a famous Russian Romantic writer, 1787-1836. This story was cited by Tolstoy as a childhood favorite. Gennady Spirin was born outside Moscow and graduated from Moscow's Stroganov Academy of Fine Arts. He came to the U.S.A. in 1991. Since then he has illustrated many beautiful books--Philipok, Jack and the Beanstalk, Gulliver's Adventures in Lilliput, and The Tale of the Firebird--all for Philomel Books. He has received many international awards, including four gold medals from the Society of Illustrators, four New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year Awards, the Premio Grafico at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, and the Golden Apple of the Bratislava Biennale of Children's Book Illustration. Used Book in Good Condition