February 26th is Tell A Fairytale Day! I never realized that there was an actual celebration of telling fairy tales but why not? Sound likes a wonderful reason to celebrate. This got me thinking about fairy tales I liked and still like. At the top of the list are the old Baga Yaga stories that were published in the children's magazine,
Jack and Jill. I wished I still had my Jack and Jill collection. Every month I remembered waiting for my magazine to arrive. My love of this magazine was mainly due to the continuing story of the Russian fairy tale character known as Baga Yaga. Baga Yaga was a witch, who lived deep in the forest in a hut, which could walk around on large chicken legs. This image has still stayed with me today. While I don't remember the specific stories about Baga Yaga I love saying her name! Baga Yaga lacked a broomstick, instead she moved around in a large mortar which she steered with a pestle. I believe she also had a very put upon black cat. I remember being enthralled and also a little scared by these stories. But I couldn't wait to get the next edition because each Baga Yaga story would leave you with a cliffhanger every month. You wouldn't know what happened until your next issue of Jack and Jill arrived. Really a marketing genius! Tomorrow, let's honor the power of a well written fairy tale with the good always winning out over the evil. A well written story and amazing art work are the bases of every Barefoot Book. Barefoot may not have any Baga Yaga stories, but maybe they will in the future since many of their books are anthologies of folktales from different countries. Take a look at
The Fabrics of Fairytales, or
The Barefoot Book of Fairy Tales, or
Storytime, or
The Barefoot Books of Princesses and you will find yourself eagerly waiting for the next Barefoot story or book. What is your favorite fairy tale?
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