The thing about folk tales, done in picture books, is that they should be well written yes, but beautifully illustrated, and this fulfills both categories.

Gorgeously illustrated, with great detail to the Russian folk costume. Just staring at the pictures to see everything that is going on, is a great delight.

Throughly enjoyed this one.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing this book for an honest review.

This new version of a recent book is pretty damn good. The text is fine – a short but compelling Russian folk tale, of the type rural troubadours still might sing. It's the artwork you'll return to, however – the designer clearly has seen a bit of Klimt in his day, but thrown a lot of personality of his own into proceedings – witness for one the undersea crab dressed almost as one of the Musketeers. If there's anything to turn me away from the highest mark, it's that too much of this edition is puff and explanation about the revision – we don't need a summary of such a short work, if we've already bought the thing. By all means give this a look, as it's really good – but if the chance arises to get the original, without all the extraneous bumpf, then go for it.

Un giovane musicista capace di far ballare anche i venti; una città, Novgorod, ricca e vivace, affacciata su un fiume; il Re del Mare, potente e ricco, amate dei festeggiamenti.
E l'invito a suonare per una festa molto, molto particolare.
E' questa un'antica leggenda russa, tramandata in ballata da musicisti come il protagonista Sadko e raccontata dall'autore in uno stile ricco ed evocativo, semplice e ritmico che evoca insieme le scatenate danze e le onde del mare.
E delle illustrazioni... c'è davvero bisogno di dire qualcosa, una vota adocchiato lo splendore delle immagini che arricchiscono questo post?
Dolceamara la vicenda, bella la narrazione, strepitose le immagini: un piccolo capolavoro da godersi in tranquillità, apprezzandone ogni dettaglio.

This is a children's book, but a gorgeously illustrated one that perfectly suits the early modern Russian setting.

Gennady Spirin's illustrations highlight this retelling of the Sadko legend by Aaron Sheperd. Sadko, a musician, is invited by the Sea-King to play in his palace beneath the waves. The Sea-King is so taken with Sadko's playing that he tries to marry him off to one of his daughters, the River Volkhova, in order to keep him beneath the sea forever. But Sadko loves Novgorod, the city beside the Volkhov where he lives, and wants to return there. As with many Russian folktales, this is not quite a happily-ever-after story, though it's only slightly melancholic.

Sheperd's prose has just enough of an archaic flavor for a classic fairytale, while still remaining approachable. Spirin's sumptuous paintings are reminiscent of Russian lacquer-ware with their depth, delicate detail, and rich color; they seem almost to glow on the page. The Sea King's Daughter would be a wonderful introduction to Russian folktales for any child. As for adults, opera-lovers will enjoy it for its similarities to Rimsky-Korsakoff's Sadko, based on the same legend, while picture-book afficionados will go into raptures over Spirin's art.

The Sea King’s Daughter- A Russian Legend told by Aaron Shephard and Illustrated by Gennady Spirin is a beautifully told and wonderfully illustrated folk-tale. It takes place in the city of Novgorod, which was the richest port city in medieval Russia. There a young musician named Sadko was called frequently to play his gusli for all the dances but he was too poor for any of the young girls to notice. In despair, Sadko goes to the river to play his music and the Sea King invites him to play for him in his palace. What happens next makes an entertaining story for a young reader. The artwork in the book is exceptional and adds so much to the story. Any child would be thrilled with this book filled with beautiful pictures. If you are looking for a book to give to a young reader or child that could become a favorite pick this one up

I receive this book from NetGalley and Skyhook Press in exchange for a fair and honest review

The Sea King’s Daughter is a Russian legend that tells the story of Sadko, a poor musician who is unable to find a wife due to his lack of wealth. One night he plays by a river and is visited by the Sea King, who invites him to play at his underground palace, but will he be able to get there and how will he return? Will he even want to return when he sees the King’s daughters?

This was a wonderful reading experience. The story is only short – around thirty pages – but Aaron Shepard’s narration is lovely, and, although simple, it is undeniably effective – I don’t want anything overly complicated or flowery when it comes to fairy tale retellings, I just want to be told the story and to soak up another culture and that is exactly what happened when I was reading this. Whilst reading Shepard’s word I was immediately returned to my childhood and filled with nostalgia – it reminded me of sitting and reading my children’s Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales for hours when I was younger. Shepard also includes information about the Russian culture of preserving ancient stories and legends – in epic ballads known as byliny – which I always find fascinating to read about; not only did I learn a new legend, I learnt something new about the tradition of storytelling.

The illustrations by Gennady Spirin are gorgeous and truly evoked the feel of Russian splendour and myth for me – I was completely transported by the subtle designs and gentle colours, especially as the illustrations reminded me of medieval tapestries and whimsical renaissance paintings, all gentle lines and plump revellers. The underwater scenes were particularly beautiful – there is a real sense of magic when looking at the pictures and I know they will appeal to young and old alike.

I’ll admit it was ‘A Russian Legend’ that initially drew me to this book (I have a minor fascination with all things Russia), but I very much enjoyed the story in itself – it was skilfully told and I love that I learnt something new. Russia, mythology, fairy tales, and mermaids – you can’t go wrong, in my opinion, and I imagine many others will agree.

'The Sea King's Daughter: A Russian Legend' by Aaron Shepard and illustrated by Gennady Spirin is a wonderfully told and illustrated story from another time and place.

Sadko loves to play his twelve-strig gusli. He's good so he gets invited to play at feasts. He also like to play beside the River Vokhov that runs through his town of Novgorod. This is what leads him to meet the Kind of the Sea, and eventually his daughter. The rest you will have to find out for yourself.

It's a beautiful story told very well. The illustrations are sumptuous and carry the reader away to far off places. The book was first published in the late 90s, and won quite a few awards. It deserves to be a classic. I'm glad to see it reprinted here for a new audience.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Skyhook Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

A poor musician in Russia loves his city but is lonely, cuz girls—or their families—only care about money. The Sea King hears him playing and invites him to give a royal recital, but he has to find his own way to the underwater kingdom, which is the hard part. But it’s the artwork that is vastly more important here than the actual story.
The illustrations are said to be done in “fairy-tale realism,” which sounds awesome. They do come off as dreamy; even the title page has the city walls on all four borders. The dancing scenes are so richly illustrated I can’t tell where to look first. There’s even a cute braided little girl in one corner. And then the underwater palace dance scene surpasses the previous.
“Music is worth far more than gold!” Yes. . .
I’d always thought this was a strange story, or at least had a strange ending, for a kid’s tale. Even though he got rich and married and had kids, there’s still a sadness that he chose his city over a beautiful princess. What exactly is the message here? But look at the amazing drawings and don’t worry about plot.
The extras, like a deleted scene, are online, with links that can take you there straight from the ebook.

This is a story I did never read about, and it's a very nice one, the right amount of love and the loss of it, and the drawings are truly gorgeous.
Absolutely recommended for the people who love fairy tales and legends.

A beautiful Russian story, illustrated by a fantastic artist, in a gorgeous anniversary edition. Not to be missed!

A Russian folktale retold, with stunningly beautiful illustrations.

What a gorgeous book. While this is an old Russian legend, the rich art makes this feel as if it was published a long time ago and not in this current lifetime. Gennady Spirin's illustrations are so detailed that you can see the texture of the tapestry and fabrics worn by background characters -- meaning the artist's fine touch goes from page corner to page corner and doesn't slack anywhere.

It's clear that author Aaron Shepard loves researching long ago tales and shaping them afresh for our consumption. We should thank him for bringing back the storytelling tradition. I have no doubt there are teachers with shelves of his multicultural tales. And if so, I envy those kids that get to dive into the wondrous worlds and art his books bring. The man is that prolific in packaging these treasures for us.

Beautiful illustrations complement an amazing story. A fanciful tale of love and loss, hard work, joy, and loneliness. I especially appreciate the small section at the end explaining the tradition of this Russian folktale.

Aaron Shepard's version of The Sea King’s Daughter (Russian Legend) is truly beautiful to read and look at. It tells the story of Sadko, a poor musician who plays the gusli. He plays at many parties and festivals but he is unable to get any of the fine women to look at him outside of the event due to his lack of wealth. One night he plays by the River Volkhov and laments that if it were a woman, he would marry her. Suddenly a figure arises from the river, the Sea King, who invites him to play at his underground palace. He pays him in a golden fish which he trades for much money. How will he be able to get to the palace? Where is it? Will he be able to return? Will he marry one of the Sea King's daughers?

This was a wonderful retelling of this legend. It was short and very easy to understand. At the end of the book, Shepard also includes information about the Russian culture of preserving ancient stories and legends in epic ballads known as byliny. He also tells a little about the history of the area. The illustrations by Gennady Spirin are gorgeous and done in the style of old fairytales. The fabric of the gowns and cloaks looked like you could touch it and that it was almost 3-D. This was a beautiful book to listen to and look at. A great book to be used in classes while studying folktales, legends and fairytales.

I grew up with Russian fairy-tales and I read them all to my sons. We really appreciated this book, Spirin's pictures are truly works of art, and the story is very well told. Loved it.

Gorgeous illustrations and a beautiful story. I will look forward to recommending this to a patron and making sure my library owns.

The Sea King's Daughter: A Russian Legend (Paperback)
by Aaron Shepard
This is a beautiful book, the art work is amazing. I found the story sad and complicated as all Russian folk lore, that the hero gets the girl but looses her to some tradition or ideal. He spends the rest of his life longing for what he has lost. In this he is able to forge a life for himself without his love, as he morns the loss.

This is a beautiful story. Not only is the story magical, so are the illustrations. I love that there is a folklore in Russia behind this story, and the history behind it is included in the end of the book for the young readers to learn about the story that they just read. I think this story would be best in a classroom where it could also be used as an educational source to learn about Russian culture and folklore. I think this would also make a wonderful bedtime story as well.

I thought this was a wonderful Russian Folktale. I enjoyed the amount of research that went into the retelling of the story and into the illustrations to make sure they stayed traditional. I liked the notes at the end as well that explained about the story, the city of Novgorod and about Russian Culture. I think this story would be good for all children, although I think that perhaps younger children may need their parents to help them read and understand. However, I think everyone can enjoy the stunning and magical illustrations that accompany the story. I also think this is a good addition for people who enjoy Russian Culture and who enjoy studying Russian Legends and Tales.
On a side note about the writing though… I felt the writing was a little disjointed and a little incomplete to me. The ending seemed rather abrupt to the detail in the beginning.

4.5 stars

I have always loved reading Russian folktales and when NetGalley offered the timeless classic “The Sea King’s Daughter” by Aaron Shepard along with gorgeous artwork by Gennady Spirin, I was so excited to check this little baby out and I was not disappointed by the results!

SUMMARY

Once upon a time, in the city of Novgorod the Great in Russia, there lived a poor but contented musician named Sadko, who would usually play his twelve string gusli during various parties that he was invited to. Everyone at the parties would happily dance to his music and Sadko was content in learning that his music was causing so much joy for the people of Novgorod! One day however, Sadko wanted to find a wife, but none of the Maidens at the parties would marry him due to him being poor. So, when Sadko started playing his gusli over the River Volkhov, the mighty Sea King suddenly popped out of the ocean and invites Sadko to play at his underwater palace. Sadko decides to go to the underwater palace, but once he gets there, the Sea King offers Sadko a chance to marry one of his daughters and stay in his kingdom forever.

Will Sadko marry one of the Sea King’s daughters and will he ever return back to his home in Novgorod?

Read this book to find out!

Wow! I was quite impressed with this book, especially with the numerous nods to Russian culture displayed in the story! I loved the fact that Aaron Shepard incorporated many Russian elements in this story as we get to see the various instruments that are shown in Russia such as Sadko’s gusli and I also loved the fact that the story uses the themes of dancing and music to be a major factor in Sadko’s life and how they affect his decisions to make a happier life for himself. I also loved the dilemma that Aaron Shepard brings to the story as Sadko has to decide if he wants to stay in the Sea King’s palace and marry his daughter or not marry the Sea King’s daughter and stay in his hometown Novgorod as it provides an interesting situation for Sadko and the reader is free to engage in deciding which decision will make Sadko happy. But my most favorite part of this book was the artwork done by Gennady Spirin as the artwork was simply gorgeous to look at! I loved the images of the citizens of Novgorod dancing to Sadko’s music as the citizens just look so cheerful whenever they are dancing and the artwork seems to glow off the pages as you see the people dancing! I especially loved the way that Gennady Spirin designed the underwater palace of the Sea King as it looked truly exquisite and beautiful and I enjoyed seeing the images of various underwater creatures like fish and crabs occupying the underwater palace. But what I loved the best about Gennady Spirin’s artwork were the exotic Russian clothing that the characters wore in the story as I often wanted to wear such clothing and it really brings out the Russian elements of this tale!

The reason why I took off half a star from the rating was because I felt that the story was slowly paced and it was sometimes hard for me to get completely engaged in the story because some scenes seemed to drag out too long. Also, for anyone who does not like bittersweet endings in stories, this story does have a bittersweet ending. I will not tell you what happens at the end, but I must admit that I found myself a bit unsatisfied with how abrupt the ending seemed to be.

Overall, “The Sea King’s Daughter” is a truly great book about finding your true happiness in the world and anyone who loves Russian folktales will definitely enjoy this story! I would recommend this book to children ages six and up since the length of the book might be too long for some smaller children to handle.

I liked this story as a kid, and I still do. The art is one of my favorite part of the book, it fits along with the story. I always enjoy a good classic story.