Picture books for children are like building blocks that bring forward vocabulary skills, literacy, sentence structure, and story analysis. For children, picture books are an important aspect of learning how to read. Usually, these types of book mark off the first step in introducing a child to literature and are often the start of language development. Libraries that include picture books to bring forward literacy to children are boosting beginner-level vocabulary skills, presenting sentence structure and promoting story analysis.

Russian Picture Books

Even though Russian children books are known to revolve around the political theme as the main aspect of the story, there are also subjects that vary from friendly animal stories and everyday events in a childhood life to educational texts like language development. The great variety of styles is truly apparent when rummaging the collection. If your children are interested in learning the Russian language, these 5 Russian picture books that are perfect for children to learn the Russian language may be your go-to alternative. You can learn many things from a children book. So, check it out.

1. The Magic Nesting Doll by Jacqueline K. Ogburn and illustrated by Laurel Long

This book has rich language in it and Laurel Long really did a great job in presenting the intricately detailed oil-painting illustrations that it gives this original folktale a very traditional atmosphere.

This book tells the story about Katya. Just before her grandmother dies, she gives her a set of Russian nesting dolls with the heads-up that she is only allowed to open them three times in her greatest moments of need. After her grandmother’s death, she lives a life on her own. Long story short, she comes to a city that suffers from the terrible spell of which the prince cast into ice. Through her own boldness and bowels, and also with the help of the nesting dolls her grandmother gave her, she breaks the spell. As a result, it gives the reader a happily-ever-after ending.

2. The Noisy Paintbox: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Mary GrandPre

The book tells the story of Moscow-born Vasily Kandinsky who is bored with his studies of traditional science, math, and history. The boredom is soon overcome when his aunt gives him a box of paints and that is when the young Kandinsky finds his passion for painting. However, unlike most children who see colors, Kandinsky can hear them. It is actually a neurological phenomenon known as “synesthesia”. Right from the start, his clear, swirling, loud art meets opposition. It does not make him waver though. He stays true to himself until the end. He keeps pushing on and thus, he ultimately becomes a leader in the abstract art movement.

3. Egg and Spoon by Gregory Maguire

The book tells a story about Elena Rudina’s life that seems pretty hopeless. She no longer has a father for he has been dead for years and her mother is very sick. She has one brother and he has been sent to the Czar’s army to serve and the other recruited as a servant to a wealthy household. She barely has money and food, but she has little hope for her life. One day, a train pulls into her village. It brings her face to face with Cat, a girl just her age, but living life differently. Cat is as pampered as Elena’s is impecunious. What happens next is a matter of swapped identity that leads to a big, eye-opening adventure for both Elena and Cat, intertwined with folklore, magic, and a good dose of humor.

4. Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin

The book tells the story about 10-year-old Sasha who soon is to face a big day. The big day happens tomorrow which is the day he will finally be drafted into Comrade Stalin’s Young Soviet Pioneers. He is the son of a State Security secret policeman and has deemed himself as a proud supporter of the Communist Party. So, the acceptance into the Pioneers is no doubt his first step towards following in his father’s.

However, something happens the night before the ceremony. His father is suddenly taken away and Sasha is thrown into a state of bewilderment, disbelief, and disappointment. Long story short, Sasha comes face to face with the reality that the world he lives in, the values he believes in, and the government he so proudly supports may not be as ideal as he thinks. It is a coming-of-age moment in the sense, a timeline full of sudden realizations that will completely change Sasha’s view of life.

5. The Night Journey by Kathryn Lasky

The book tells the story about 13-year-old Rachel who is in charge of taking care of her elderly, fragile great-grandmother. During their first time together, Nana Sashie, her great-grandmother, begins to tell her a story that her family has kept secret for years. Moving between the past and the present, the book recalls a time when the Czar was the sole authority and going against his wishes meant sacrificing everything even life. The story is about a dashing young heroine who proposes a plan to help her family escape to a safer place, and of their unreliable helper, a man more haunting than human. So, it is the story of a great-grandmother’s relation to her great-grandchild, and the histories that make their family whole.

So, those are 5 Russian picture books that are perfect for children to learn the Russian language. Almost all Russian picture books for children have a fabulous story and also a wonderful scene to explore. Your children can get the best from two. They can learn the language as well as history. It will be like traveling and visiting Russia; exploring their landscapes, their histories, and their people. So, pick up a book.