The Wonderful Birch

From sorrow grows a tree of wonder—and the promise of a new life.

A young girl’s peaceful home is destroyed when a cruel witch transforms her mother into a sheep, steals her identity, and takes her place within the family. Before the enchanted mother is killed, she gives her daughter one final instruction: gather her bones and bury them carefully.

From that resting place grows a magnificent birch tree filled with mysterious power.

Forced to serve the witch and her spoiled daughter, the girl is burdened with impossible tasks and forbidden from attending the king’s celebrations. But whenever she seeks help beneath the birch tree, its magic provides everything she needs—from completing her work to dressing her in splendid clothes worthy of a royal banquet.

At the palace, a prince is captivated by the beautiful stranger who repeatedly disappears before he can learn her name. Determined to find her, he follows the clues she leaves behind and uncovers the young woman hidden beneath years of cruelty and neglect.

Yet even after love offers her a new beginning, the witch’s vengeance is not finished. The heroine must face one final transformation before she can reclaim her true form, her family, and the happiness she has earned.

Magical, haunting, and richly imaginative, The Wonderful Birch is a Russo-Karelian variation of the Cinderella story filled with shapeshifting, enchanted trees, royal celebrations, perseverance, and the enduring bond between mother and daughter.

Narrated by Mike Polischuk, Andrew Lang’s classic fairy tale comes alive in an unforgettable story of courage, cruelty, transformation, and hope.