Books like The Golden Mare, the Firebird, and the Magic Ring

Please note that this review is written for my use as a librarian and may not appeal directly to readers. Please review at your own risk.Accelerated Reader has this book listed as being for lower grades, or readers in K to 3rd grade. They also have listed that this read is worth 0.5 AR points.Not only is this book a Texas Bluebonnet Award winner, but it is a Russian fairytale. I happen to love Russian fairy tales, so I might be a little bit biased here. This picture book has beautiful illustrations and is a great example of a well-written fairy tale story. I think it would be good for most young readers. It could be good for an ethnic story time, but it is a little long and would need to be read to slightly older kids.Summary:-Do not read past this point if you would like to avoid spoilers-In this Russian fairytale, a young hunter meets a beautiful horse who takes him on an adventure as a thank you for sparing her life. He attempts to go and work for the Tsar of the land, but he turns out to be a jealous and evil man. He sends the young hunter, Alexi, on many tasks that end up making Alexi regret ever coming to him in the first place. In the end, Alexi and a beautiful maiden that he captured for the Tsar trick the Tsar and end up taking his throne.