Sanderson, R. (2001). The Golden Mare, the Firebird, and the magic ring. Boston: Little, Brown.
This book is a Bluebonnet nominee.
Exposition: This is the story of a young Russian hunter named Alexi, who finds a golden mare in the woods one day. He has her in his sights with his bow, but spares her life, so she is indebted to him.
Conflict: Alexi goes to work for the Tsar, who wants to buy the mare, but Alexi refuses. The Tsar is very angry with Alexi.
Rising Action: The Tsar gives Alexi seemingly impossible tasks, such as finding a mythical firebird, and the mare helps him. The Tsar asks Alexi to find Yelena the Beatiful and bring her to be his bride.
Climax: Alexi and the mare find Yelena, but Alexi feels bad about her marrying the Tsar. Yelena says she won't marry without her magic golden ring, so Alexi and the mare go to find it.
Falling Action: Yelena and Alexi use the magic ring to trick the Tsar into getting into a pot of water, which turns him into a baby.
Resolution: Alexi and Yelena marry, adopt the baby, and Alexi becomes the new Tsar. The golden mare acts as his advisor.
The illustrations in this book are absolutely amazing. The colors are vibrant and appealing. The artwork is very realistic, and even the fantasy elements are believable. The level of detail for people, setting, and animals are astonishing.
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