Based on Russian folktales, Utkin's series-starter opens with Gamayun, a magical, human-faced bird who guides readers through the stories. She begins with the tale of a golden apple discovered by mouse, who hid it away. Once sparrow discovered mouse's greed, a war broke out between the animals and the birds. The birds were victorious, but the bird king sustained terrible wounds and went off alone to recover his strength. He was discovered by a hunter, who was merciful and nursed the bird king back to health. When he recovered, the king decided to reward the hunter by offering him a gift, though it wasn't without conditions. This beautifully illustrated, refreshing take on folktales blends classic storytelling techniques and expressive, captivating character design. Utkin's artistic style is a fluid combination of 1960s-era Disney animation and mid-twentieth-­century graphic design, with a bold palette to match. Upper-middle-grade readers who love folktales and mythology will appreciate this distinctive offering with a suspenseful cliff-hanger that gives them even more to look forward to.

Gamayun, a human-faced bird from Slavic mythology who tells stories, greets readers in this intriguing graphic-novel rendering of Russian folktales. Like Russian nesting dolls, each tale is born from the previous one, and they often cross back into other stories later on. What starts as an attempt to steal an apple of eternal youth from the garden of a warrior princess leads to a war between the mammals and birds. After winning, the King of Birds struggles to survive and is saved by the kindness of a merchant. The king is indebted to the human, whom he flies to faraway lands and awards him a treasure that he is not allowed to open. Utkin-s work is mesmerizing and haunting both visually and narratively, his striking characters wavering between majestic and malevolent. Though much of the story occurs in the wild, Utkin switches up earthy hues for bright backgrounds and beings that cover the range of colors-notably shades of bright blue and gold. Readers will find themselves easily seduced by Utkin-s artwork and storytelling. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)