This charming retelling of the Russian folktale about how the city of Novgorod got its river is also the tale of Sadko the minstrel -- a poor but gifted musician who plays an old gusli, a small harp made of maple wood. Sadko sings eloquent songs about the dense forests and lakes surrounding Novgorod. He never plays songs of the sea and rivers, because the city has no river and the sea is so far away. One day, Sadko takes his gusli outside the city walls to play by the shores of Lake Ilmen. A fierce storm kicks up and out of the lake rises the great and fearful tsar of the sea. The powerful giant rewards Sadko for his music and beckons him to play his songs for the underwater kingdom. The tsar allows one of his daughters, Volkhova, to accompany Sadko back to Novgorod, and she turns into the beautiful River Volkov, the tsar's gift for Sadko's sweet music.

"A Groundwood book."