“Baboushka and the Three Kings: Adapted from a Russian Folk Tale”
by Ruth Robbins, illustrated by Nicholas Sidjakov.
Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1960, 21 pages, Grades K-2.
In some cultures, the Epiphany or the Feast of the Three Kings is nearly as important as Christmas. St. Matthew tells us the actual events in Chapter 2 of his marvelous Gospel. But the Three Kings or Three Wise Men have been the source of many interesting stories and folktales. In Mexico, there is a festival where children go from house to house asking the residents if they have seen the Infant Jesus. In Russia the Epiphany is also a popular feast. The family has always been the center of Russian life and the grandmother or the Baboushka usually plays a prominent role in many Slavic tales. In the Russian folktale about the Three Kings, Ruth Robbins uses the grandmother as a main character and the cold winter snow as a backdrop for the tale.
As the story begins we see the Baboushka diligently working around her small cozy house during a snowstorm. Just when she thinks her day is settling down, there is the sound of a trumpet outside. This is followed by a knock on the door. She is astonished as she opens the door. Outside there is a procession of travelers following a magnificent sleigh. Three of the men in the group are wearing jeweled crowns and are clothed in cloaks of ermine. The Baboushka has never seen anything like this in her entire life. These three men are obviously kings and she looks at them in wonder. They have extremely kind dispositions and smile at her and say that they are searching for the Holy Baby. They tell her that they have been following a bright star to the site of the Nativity but that they have lost their way in the snowstorm. They beg the grandmother to join their journey to bring gifts to the Holy Child. But as the Babouska looks out into the cold, snowy night, she shivers and invites the Three Kings into her humble house to get warm. She promises to go with them in the morning, but this night is too cold and cruel. But the Three Kings tell the old lady that there is not time to waste. They need to be searching for the Christ Child immediately.
But the Babouska refuses to go out into the snowy night. With this answer, the Three Kings turn around and disappear into the snowstorm. Laying in her snug and warm house, the Babouska is very unsettled. Why wasn’t she willing to risk some danger to find the Baby Jesus? After tossing and turning all night, the morning finally breaks. With this the old lady gets dressed and rushes into the cold snow looking for the Three Kings. But does she find them?
What happens during Baboushka’s search? Can you ever find Christ without some risk? Should she have gone with the Wise Men on the previous evening? Would you have gone out into the snow with the Three Kings? What nice gifts do children across Russia receive because of the Baboushka’s journey? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out “Baboushka and the Three Kings” by Ruth Robbins.
The pictures in this book are woodcuts. Nicolas Sidjakov won the Caldecott Medal in 1961 for his artistic work. They work very well with this Russian tale about the Three Kings. I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Epiphany on the Feast of the Three Kings. It is a beautiful feast. Enjoy!
