MATRYOSHKA MADNESS FOR THE END OF MAY!

The first time I ever saw Russian nesting dolls, or "matryoshkas", I fell in love with them.  Maybe because they look so motherly.  In fact, the word matryoshka is literally "little matron".  The doll was originally made to symbolize motherhood -  specifically the mothers of large peasant families who are well fed - leading to the portly figure of the doll and her "family" inside of her!

Shop full of matryoshkas at Izmaylovo Market, Moscow

Nesting dolls were first made in China in the early 1800's (traditional Chinese nesting boxes had been started there hundreds of years earlier).  In the 1890's, when a group of Russian artists began reviving native culture and folk traditions, the idea found its way to Russia.  Artist Sergei Malyutin designed the first set of Russian nesting dolls, probably inspired by a Japanese example.  He made the largest doll a peasant girl with a babushka (kerchief) on her head.  The dolls, carved and turned on a lathe by a master wood-carver, were then painted in bright colors.  Many regions of Russia - each developing its own particular style - took up the art, inspired by Malyutin's first matryoshka.  Most of the dolls are maidens, but some sets have families, animals, or characters (like St. Nicholas).

PICTURE BOOKS ABOUT MATRYOSHKAS:  

The Littlest Matryoshka, by Corinne Demas Bliss, illustrations by Kathryn Brown.  Click HERE to read all about the making of this book on Corinne's website.  If you order the book from Hearthsong, you can also purchase a set of nesting dolls that look very like the ones featured in the book! (ages 3-7)

The Magic Nesting Doll by Jacqueline K. Ogburn, illustrations by Laurel Long. Katya is given a magical nesting doll by her dying grandmother but is told that she can only use its magic three times. After entering a land of eternal winter, the young woman discovers a prince who has been turned into "living ice" through an enchantment. Aided in turn by a bear, wolf, and firebird that appear from inside the doll, Katya is able to restore the prince to his former self and destroy the villainous Grand Vizier. Gorgeous illustrations, reminiscent of Russian iconography! (Kindergarten - 3rd grade)

The Art of the Russian Matryoshka, by Rett Ertl, Rick Hibberd. (Mainly for parents, but if you have a child who's interested in these dolls, they'll love the photos!)  A MUST have for the obsessed, like me.

MORE MATRYOSHKAS (to make yourself!)...

Click here for a Bigu Handmade "How To" for Matryoshka bookmarks.

Want to  learn to make a Maytroshka fold-out CARD, found at Zakka Life?

I bet you can't resist crafting these mini-matroyshkas!
Sew to Speak has step-by-step instructions.

FUN MATRYOSHKAS FOR YOU & YOUR KIDS:
I gave these cute FRED AND FRIENDS Measuring Cups to my goddaughters for Christmas last year...

Available on AMAZON

Loving these cute Sippy Cups by SUGARBOOGER!

Sippy cups and plates available on AMAZON

And these Babushkup Tumblers from FRED AND FRIENDS!

Find them on AMAZON

Do you sew?  There is lots of cute matryoshka fabric from JAPAN out there...

Fun fabric choices on ETSY

A KNOCK AT THE DOOR...WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

BABOUSHKA AND THE THREE KINGS (ages 4-8) by Ruth Robbins, illustrated by Nicolas Sidjakov, is the story about an old woman who, on a cold winter's night, hears a knock on her door.  She lifts the latch and looks out, to see three strangers standing in her doorway.  She stares in wonder at "their elegant dress, their frosted beards, their kind eyes."  They tell her they have been following a bright star to where a Baby has been born, but have become lost. They invite her to come with them in order to try to find the Child and offer Him gifts. But Baboushka is cold and hasn't finished her day's work.  She asks them to stay the night so that she can go with them in the morning.  They tell her there is not time to linger and they continue their journey without her.  She finishes her work, sits down to her lonely supper and begins to feel "a sudden tenderness and joy for the new born Child".  She becomes determined to find this new Babe and offer Him her poor, but heartfelt gifts.  She leaves at dawn but never finds Him, as she wanders from village to village.  She renews her search year after year at the time of His birth, and the children of the villages find joy "in the poor but precious gifts she leaves behind her in the silent night."

A little trivia (or controversy, depending on how you look at it):
The inside title page of BABOUSHKA AND THE THREE KINGS says the story is "Adapted From A Russian Folk Tale"; and at the end of BABOUSHKA AND THE THREE KINGS is the text of a poem, "BABOUSHKA, A RUSSIAN LEGEND", written by an American, Edith M. Thomas, in 1907.  In reality there is no such tale from Russia!  But there is a legend very much like this from Italy - about Old Befana.  (author and illustrator Tomie dePaola has a wonderful version of this story).

OLD BEFANA retold by Tomie dePaola (ages 4-8)