DRAGON FEATHERS
illustrated by Andrej Dugin & Olga Dugina
Two Russian painters showcase their superb technical skills with a set of polished scenes in the style of the early Northern Renaissance, featuring static, richly dressed figures, compressed perspectives, tiny floral and architectural details rendered with dazzling clarity, and a host of cryptic symbols, artist's monograms, and amusingly grotesque little creatures—all bathed in creamy golden light. The story, a traditional one about a poor lad who, with the help of the dragon's wife, fetches three dragon feathers to win the innkeeper's daughter, is similar to the Grimms' The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs as retold by Nonny Hogrogian (1983) and to several other German folktales; the art overwhelms it. (Folklore/Picture book. 9+)