See The House with Chicken Legs in our catalogue
“Marinka dreams of a normal life, where her house stays somewhere long enough for her to make friends. But her house has chicken legs and moves on without warning. The only people Marinka meets are dead; they disappear when her grandmother, Baba Yaga, guides them through The Gate. Marinka wants to change her destiny, but her house has other ideas.”
This wonderful, fantastical adventure is an unusual retelling of the Baba Yaga myth from Russia, in which Sophie Anderson gives more dimension and warmth to the scary witch character who guides the dead into the afterlife. We follow Marinka, Baba Yaga’s granddaughter, as she struggles with her personal identity, loneliness and the big scary question of the future.
In its essence, this book is about love, grief and friendship. It’s peppered with stunning illustrations by Elisa Paganelli that bring a magical feel to the story and paint a really clear picture of the setting.
The House with Chicken Legs is a beautiful, whimsical story steeped in Russian folklore. It has moments of great suspense, joy and sadness - it will take you on a full rollercoaster of emotions, and features some fun animal friends along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and highly recommend it (not just to children!).