This acclaimed picture book tells of a young girl's encounter with the Firebird, mythical creature of Russian fairytale. Masha has a talent for painting hens' eggs, one the Firebird enlists in its battle with Baba Yaga, the terrifying witch who lives in a house that dances on chicken legs. Masha is asked to decorate four eggs - said to contain the four elements for which the Firebird is guardian - in order to hide these from Baba Yaga's preying eyes. All goes well until the last egg falls into enemy hands and Masha must set out to recover it. An afterword encourages the reader to participate in the tradition of decorating eggs, and translates a poem written in Cyrillic alphabet - the origin and features of which are also explained.