Customer Reviews

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was one of my favorite's at our school's library when I was younger. This is far from Disney's version. The illustrations are breath-taking and moody at times, yet they embrace the simple essence of the story. The text is perfect for reading aloud but the pictures deserve many glances. The details in the illustrations are something to behold. Children will enjoy this version but also anyone on the college level interested in fantasy literature and illustration. Bottom Line: A simple yet elegant edition worthy of having a place on your bookshelf. A+

The reviewer who said this book wasn't for her 5-year old is right. It's not the Disney we all grew up with but rather more grim. It would be for older children. And adults. Read on.

The real treasure in this book is the incredible illustrations. Nancy Burkert has given her pictures a strong mediaeval feel, the detail in each one being extensive. You won't find Doc, Sneezy, Grumpy, et al. here but rather dwarfs: short men with normal-sized heads. For example, the scene in which they are depicted mourning Snow White is truly amazing. You can feel their grief as you see them standing 'round the glass coffin.

This book is interesting for the story-line but absolutely worth owning if you enjoy and appreciate exquisite illustration.

Parents - read these stories to your kids. No, the Brothers Grimm are not Disney. They are not a contrived fantasy world that teaches your children little fairies will come and save them from their troubles when something goes wrong. Disney is good for sing-a-longs. Parents, if you want to teach your children *life lessons* about growing up, about facing their fears, and about not being ashamed of who they are, read the Grimm tales to them. Then, after you're done, explain to them what these books entail. Teach your child about *life.* Allow their minds to function, because a nonfunctioning mind is clinically dead. .....stories of the unconscious.....

If you like your fairy tales totally authentic and not Disney-sized, you will love this one! It's Snow-White with all the scary parts left in--the wicked stepmother asking for the liver and lungs of the dead Snow-White, the prince falling in love with a dead body---it would have been a little much for my sons had they not been 8 and 11 at first reading! As it was, they liked this a lot---perhaps because I don't let them watch horror movies and this is as close as they get!

But besides that, this is a beautiful book. It's an interesting set-up, with all the writing on alternate double pages and the big picture spreads on the others. The pictures are extremely detailed and wonderful to look at. However, if you are doing this as a read-aloud, it's sometimes hard to give the pictures their due, as the kids are eager to hear what happens next and you have to turn to the page to read that. It's the sort of book you would need to have around the house a lot, so they would be able to look at it at their leisure.

I would say this is most definately for ages 8 and up or so! It's a gorgeous book, and a more compelling story than the fairy tale I remember.

Quick someone, grab some rope. Disney is down and we need to protect ourselves while we can. ;) It is so wonderful to see this beautiful tale restored to its original depth and content. The translation is marvelous, from showing the queen being overpowered by jealousy, to the interest and friendliness of the woodland creatures. And the illustrations!! No strange little cartoon creatures here, just reagular dwarf men, neither spooky nor kooky. The illustrations are so beautiful, one can't help becoming absorbed in the intricacy and detail of each tree and piece of fabric! A truly wonderful book!

Jarrell translated this famous folk tale of the Grimm Brothers (Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm, 1785 1863, and Wilhelm Carl Grimm, 1786-1859) of the princess who is forced to hide from her evil stepmother. Jarrell retains the grim ending to the Grimm brothers tale. This issue was illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkett and it was a 1973 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a children's book. It is a book that should be on the shelves of all serious students of children literature.

This book is very nice -- large format and beautiful illustrations -- and a great value.

This is my favorite version of Snow White, by far and away. It is also incredibly beautiful and rewards careful study. The dwarfs are not cartoon characters but real people, and the witch meets a properly horrific end.

This is the real Snow White with all the scary things still in the story. For older children on up.

Jarrell has translated this from the German version as precisely as he could, and it's a pleasure to read a Brothers Grimm story as it was originally written. I love the book, however, for the exquisite illustrations by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. They are amazingly beautiful--so precise, sensitive, and well-executed, and yet boldly designed. She places us immediately within the scene and then our eyes move from detail to detail, always finding something new.

This is not a book to rush through. If you're reading it to a young child, who is anxious to hear the story for the first time, you might not be able to linger as long as you'd like over the illustrations (which are not on the same pages as the text). Most children, however, will be as captivated by the illustrations as they are by the story. Jarrell and Burkert have done an excellent job together. For those of you who collect beautiful books, make sure you have this one.

Denise Hillman Moynahan
The Great Cavern of the Winds: Tales from Backbone Mountain