The Knot in the Tracks - Roberto Piumini
Petrushka is charged with maintaining a lonely stretch of track on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. He is a solitary, but loyal man who finds he must face off with the meddlesome demon named Rashka who has tied a dangerous knot in the tracks. Petrushka has little time do the demons outlandish bidding so he will untie the lethal knots. What follows is an interesting, but rather stilted story - possibly due to the translation from Italian? But the accompanying illustrations, which initially attracted me, are attractive and do a lot to further the plot.