Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs [Hardcover]

Laura Ljungkvist (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

A princess takes refuge from her wicked stepmother in the cottage of seven dwarfs.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-Flat, bright-colored gouache artwork illustrates a simplified version of this classic story. Ljungkvist eliminates the hunter's duty to bring back Snow White's lungs and heart, substitutes a scene in which the queen sneaks a poisoned apple onto her stepdaughter's plate for the witch's three visits, and generally strips the story of its power. The nearly depthless illustrations show stylized people and animals created out of geometric shapes. Many of the characters' features are the same color as the illustrations' backgrounds, giving them a see-through look that further emphasizes the cutout and one-dimensional appearance of the artwork. A black line curls through all of the pictures. The two most beautiful renditions of this story, both in text authenticity and in illustration, are still the versions by Paul Heins and Trina Schart Hyman (Little, Brown, 1974) and Randall Jarrell and Nancy Ekholm Burkert (Farrar, 1972). If your copies of those books are tatty, replace them for older readers to enjoy and steer the younger set to more age-appropriate folktale choices.
Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Swedish-born artist Ljungkvist (Toni's Topsy-Turvy Telephone Day, 2001) holds up her own magic mirror to this age-old story, offering a thoroughly modern, crisply geometric reflection of the fairy tale. Here, a round-headed, triangle-nosed Snow White is the fairest in the land, so fair that the evil queen wants to feed her to wild animals. Of course, justice prevails in this stripped-down, but well-told, version of the favorite tale. The ultraclean artwork cleverly emphasizes the archetypal nature of this story of good versus evil, allowing Ljungkvist to use color and form to communicate mood and meaning. In one spread, the faces of the seven dwarfs are drawn with one continuous black line that children may enjoy tracing with a finger. The appealing, highly stylized illustrations--evocative of the work of Joan Miro and Vladimir Radunsky--appear to be computer generated, but in a note the artist says she uses gouache on watercolor paper to keep the imperfections that "give it life." A surprisingly fresh, visually exciting rendition. Karin Snelson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810942410
• ISBN-13: 978-0810942417
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,048,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Snow White, February 27, 2006

By 

Misha - See all my reviews

This review is from: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Hardcover)

I highly recommend Ms. Ljungkvist's version of Snow White, perfectly adapted to a young audience with succinct text and creative, modern, memorable illustrations. It is the story reduced to its essence, and I thoroughly enjoy its beauty.