Tamara and the Sea Witch, Krystyna Turska

Beautifully illustrated by Krystyna Turska, Tamara and the Sea Witch, is a fairy tale. A poor young maiden named Tamara is out gathering mushrooms when a voice from a well asks her to marry him. Taken by the gentleness and sweetness of his voice she accepts. As it turns out he is a prince and his palace and riches are hers with one caveat. They can only be together three days a year and she must never ask his name. But this is hard for Tamara as she is lonely. An old woman tells her to make the prince tell her his name so that he will stay forever. But the old woman is the sea witch who has tricked Tamara. Upon telling Tamara his name he disappears under the sea. After that it's up to Tamara to rescue her prince.

Tamara and the Sea Witch 

Written and Illustrated by Krystyna Turska 

Parent's Magazine Press, 1972

Krystyna Zofia Turska was born in 1933 and spent her childhood in Poland until World War II. In 1940 Krystyna was arrested with her family and taken to a concentration camp in Russia. She escaped to Persia and finally reached England in 1948. Krystyna studied at the Hammersmith School of Art and became an illustrator and author of children's books. 

Krystyna received a Kate Greenaway Medal for The Woodcutter's Duck.

Some of Krystyna Turska's books include: 
Coppelia the Story of the Ballet (1985) 
How the Camel Got His Hump: And How the Whale Got His Throat 
The Elephant's Child 
The Woodcutter's Duck (1972) 
A Cavalcade of Sea Legends (1971) 
A Cavalcade of Goblins (1969), A Cavalcade of Witches (1966) 
A Cavalcade of Dragons (1970) 
Marra's World (1975) 
The Mouse and the Egg (1980) 
The King of the Golden River (1978) 
Tales From Central Russia (1978) 
The Trojan's Horse (1968)