I Want To Live: The Diary of a Young Girl in Stalin's Russia

I Want To Live: The Diary of a Young Girl in Stalin's Russia

Written by: Nina Lugovskaya

Junior High and High School Grades

"Recently unearthed in the archives of Stalin’s secret police, the NKVD, Nina Lugovskaya’s diary offers rare insight into the life of a teenage girl in Stalin’s Russia—when fear of arrest was a fact of daily life. Like Anne Frank, thirteen-year-old Nina is conscious of the extraordinary dangers around her and her family, yet she is preoccupied by ordinary teenage concerns: boys, parties, her appearance, who she wants to be when she grows up. As Nina records her most personal emotions and observations, her reflections shape a diary that is as much a portrait of her intense inner world as it is the Soviet outer one."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://womenineuropeanhistory.org/index.php?title=Critical_Biography

Babushkas Doll

Babushkas Doll

Written and Illustrated by: Patricia Polacco

Elementary Grades

"Natasha isn't really a bad girl. It's just that she wants to play on the swing now, not after the wash has been hung up to dry. And she wants her soup now, not after the goats have been fed. Looking after Natasha keeps Babushka, Natasha's grandmother, very busy. Then, after lunch, Natasha notices a doll sitting on Babushka's shelf...a doll Babushka tells Natasha she played with just once when she was a little girl. When Natasha plays with the doll while Babushka goes to the store for groceries, she discovers why once is enough with Babushka's doll...and finds out just how tiring it can be to take care of a child who wants everything now."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.patriciapolacco.com/books/babushkas_doll/babushkas_doll.html
http://www.readinglady.com/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=27

Babushka Baba Yaga

Babushka Baba Yaga

Written and Illustrated by: Patricia Polacco

Elementary Grades

"Baba Yaga is a witch famous throughout Russia for eating children, but this Babushka Baba Yaga is a lonely old woman who just wants a grandchild--to love. "A warm, lively tale, neatly mixing new and old and illustrated with Polacco's usual energetic action, bright fold patterns and affectionate characterizations."

Kirkus Reviews

Online Resources:
http://www.patriciapolacco.com/books/babayaga/index.html

The Mitten

The Mitten

Written and Illustrated by: Jan Brett

Elementary Grades

"Set in a snowy forest, the fun begins when, one by one, animals crawl into Nicki's lost white mitten to get warm until the bear sneezes, sending the animals flying up and out of the mitten. On each turn of the page, Jan hints at what animal is coming next in her signature borders, inspired by Ukrainian folk art."

Publishers Synopsis

Online Resources:
http://www.janbrett.com/
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=1021

The Firebird

The Firebird

Written by: Jane Yolen

Elementary Grades

"In a certain land, in a certain kingdom -- as they say in old Russia -- on the far side of a certain tangled wood, a garden shimmered like a green jewel.... Inside that jewellike garden, an evil wizard named Kostchei the Deathless holds a princess and her nine maidens captive, turning all those who attempt to save them to stone. But help is nearby -- Prince Ivan searching the nearby tangled wood for food, finds the young women and vows to save them. And with some help from the powerful and mischievous Firebird, as well as with much true courage from within, Prince Ivan will slay a horde of demons and Kostchei himself in order to free the damsels."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://janeyolen.com/

At the Wish of a Fish: A Russian Folktale

At the Wish of a Fish: A Russian Folktale

Written by: J. Patrick Lewis
Illustrated by: Katya Krenina

Elementary Grades

"In this imaginative classic Russian tale, Emelya, a lazy simpleton, catches an enchanted fish. The pike promises to grant Emelya his every desire if he will pitch the fish back into the sea, and soon everyone is transfixed by Emelya's powers. Formerly, he did no chores; but now, buckets of water march into his house, and kindling is split and stacked at his command. When Emelya meets the tsar's daughter, he falls in love with her and requests the pike to make her fall for him, too. When they want to marry, the tsar refuses his daughter's hand to a simpleton and casts them both into the sea. The pike rescues them and turns Emelya into a nobleman, and the tsar finally approves the marriage. Children will marvel at the cleverness of a man who, though a fool, knows what to wish for and gets what he wants. Krenina's richly colored watercolors provide additional magic to a delightful, fanciful romance."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.letteroftheweek.com/russia.html
http://www.jpatricklewis.com/

The Keeping Quilt

The Keeping Quilt

Written and Illustrated by: Patricia Polacco

Elementary Grades

The text develops a strong feeling for family and Jewish traditions as a great-grandmother comes to the United States from Russia. She brings with her a blue dress and a red babushka. These items eventually become part of a quilt that reveals the memories and history of the family.

Multicultural Connections: After reading the book, students could create their own keeping quilt as part of an art project.

Online Resources:
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LAArtCIMathSSMDPatriciaPolaccoACraftyAuthorIntegratedUnit3.htm
http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/keepingquilt.html