Little Daughter of the Snow

Arthur Ransome included this story in Old Peter’s Russian Tales, collected while the author of Swallows and Amazons was visiting Russia as a journalist and Trotsky supporter after the revolution. This retelling preserves the simple poignancy of the original.

Every year an ageing, childless couple watch with deepening sadness as the village children play in the snow. One day, they make a child of their own out of snow, and plead with her to come to life. When she does so, she warns them that should their love ever appear to falter, she will vanish. One day, this bloodless, playful and enchanting child gets lost in the forest, and the fox who rescues her demands a ransom that puts the couple’s resolve to the test.

The tale is beautifully told, its enduring, folkloric themes of magic, longing and loss powerfully conveyed by both the spare and lucid prose and the bold, naïve, pastel illustrations in which the words are set. These pictures vividly reinforce the shifting moods of sadness, fey joy and menace. An excellent addition to the folklore collection, and one that older readers might be able to relate to similar themes from other traditions.