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The Amazing Russian Vixen: Russian Folk Tales

by Elvira Yurchenko-Jones; Illustrated by Greg "Cowboy" Monacelli

24 pages; Saddle stitched; illustrated children's book; catalogue #06-0242; ISBN 1-4120-8488-1; US$10.96, C$12.60, EUR9.00, £6.30

A collection of timeless classic Russian folk tales passed from generation to generation. These humorous stories are centered on a mischievous woman-fox whose amazing creativity is revealed.

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About the Book

About the Author

About the Illustrator

Excerpts

About the Book

The Amazing Russian Vixen presents a collection of folk-tales centering on a mischievous woman-fox, very smart and sly, always looking for trouble, even without any benefits.

Drawing upon an understanding of Russian history and culture, the volume emerges in part out of a conceivable connection between folklore and a sense of national identity.

These famous and humorous stories are known by every child in Russia. The stories are about the vixen's schemes and what happens to her and others whom she meets as she attempts to carry out her plans. The stories reveal a great deal about the vixen's amazing creativity and endurance. If folklore reflects the character of the nation, maybe these stories disclose much about the Russian character. Who knows? We hope you will find the stories interesting and enjoyable.

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About the Author

Elvira Yurchenko-Jones, as a representative of Russian culture, introduces the most famous folk-tales from Russian folklore on which she was raised.

Elvira was born and raised in Russia. She graduated from the Institute of Culture and worked for twelve years as a librarian and bibliographer in the Far Eastern State Scientific library, the biggest library in the Far East of Russia. Elvira moved to the United States in 2002. She started to write these stories just to practice her English and have read them to some of her friends. People liked the stories and said they had never heard something like that before. The idea came to publish the stories in English language.

Elvira is very thankful to Dr. Annita Ward who helped her to edit and adjust the stories to the English language and to Greg Monacelli who brought the stories to life with images and colors.

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About the Illustrator

Message from the Illustrator, Greg "Cowboy" Monacelli

A sense of accomplishment comes from bringing an author's work to life with colorful images that captures the readers' imagination, leaving them yearning to turn the page in anticipation for the next illustration.

When Elvira first contacted me about doing the illustrations for her book, born and raised on the NYC borderline, I wasn't exactly sure what she had in mind. After all, "The Amazing Russian Vixen" consisted of several folk tales from a Russian culture I knew very little about. However, once I received Elvira's text along with some of her ideas concerning the proposed illustrations, and a bit of research on Russian folklore, I discovered a world that was rich in color and tradition. It seemed like a project I would enjoy putting my creative stamp on. I accepted the challenge.

With the frolicking tales of mischief of "The Amazing Russian Vixen" and her menagerie of wilderness friends, the snow covered landscapes, and the rustic beauty of the fireplace glowing in the warm log cabin, the stories are warming to the heart. These Russian tales retold by Elvira were passed on from one generation to another and remain timeless classics that can still be enjoyed by cultures around the world.

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Excerpts

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