Snow & Rose

July 15, 2017
Picture-book author/illustrator Martin (The Littlest Family's Big Day, 2016, etc.) offers a reimagined chapter-book version of a lesser-known Grimm fairy tale, "Snow White and Red Rose."When their father fails to return from the woods, Snow, Rose, and their grieving mother must leave their wealthy home and move to a remote cabin in the woods. The sisters are opposite in temperament. "Rose pictured herself as a tidy bow, and Snow was a wild tangle." Meandering off the path in the woods, they happen upon an Underground House, a curious library filled with objects rather than books and overseen by the Librarian, and a tunnel under tree roots that leads them to Ivo, a boy who grows mushrooms. Ivo tells them about the Menace of the Woods, who has caused many to disappear. The girls help a very cranky Little Man with backward-bending legs and a giant bear who is pursued by the Huntsman. Although the story nearly collapses under the weight and confusion of a horde of characters (the humans all apparently white), all is sorted out in the end. The writing is lyrical, with laudable word choice, alliteration, and imagery capturing the magic of the woods. For lovers of fairy tales, this story of sisterhood, taking risks, and being kind is a physically beautiful book with an appealing cover and captivating full-color illustrations. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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May 1, 2017

Gr 3-7-This adaptation of "Snow White and Rose Red" makes the classic fairy tale accessible and intriguing for today's readers. Sisters Snow and Rose are daughters of a nobleman who disappeared under troubling circumstances. Forced to vacate their grand residence after their father's presumed death, the girls must now live in a humble forest cottage with their grieving mother. The sisters explore the forest, narrowly escape dangers, discover a peculiar library, repeatedly rescue the strange Little Man, and befriend a young boy named Ivo. Something truly evil lurks in these woods, however, which accounts for the tragically frequent disappearances of locals-perhaps even for their father's disappearance. Each chapter has a vignette feel to it; some of the particularly poignant chapters demonstrate with masterly gentleness how people deal with loss in different ways. Several single pages, interspersed throughout the narrative, recount the prophecies, observations, and dialogue of the forest trees. These pages insert a dark mysteriousness into the flow of the story. Lovely pencil and watercolor illustrations accompany the text, lending a wispy, dreamlike quality to the tale. The suspenseful, dramatic action doesn't really start building until the last quarter of the book, but readers will realize details have been quietly dropped throughout the entire narrative that contribute to the climax and conclusion. VERDICT A solid purchase for most mid-size libraries. Fairy-tale fans will delight in this fascinating spin on a lesser-known tale.-Sara White, Seminole County Public Library, Casselberry, FL

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 14, 2017
Sisters Snow and Rose once lived a charmed life in a grand house with a beautiful garden. After their father disappears into the woods, the girls and their mother are forced to move into a small cottage in the same forest. There, they befriend a boy named Ivo, discover a mysterious library filled not with books but objects, are tricked by a strange little man, and bond with a protective bear. Unfolding over episodic chapters that build to a well-deserved happy ending, this moody fairy tale emphasizes family, friendship, and the powerful bond of sisterhood. Martin’s characterization of the two contrary sisters is especially moving: Rose is the type of person who “holds on to a thing she loved as tightly as she could,” while Snow wants “to see or hear or taste something she loved over and over again, to remind herself that it was real.” The sisters’ contradictions make their relationship all the stronger, and Martin’s prim full-color paintings and spot illustrations tenderly highlight key characters and moments. Ages 8–12. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

September 1, 2017
Grades 3-5 Martin's illustrated rendition of Snow White and Rose Red brings this lesser-known Grimm fairy tale out of obscurity. Taking a few creative libertiesthere's no prince, nor any mention of marriageMartin ventures into an enchanted wood where bandits and monsters prowl, people go missing, and a widow resides with her two daughters: Snow, who is wild and fair, and Rose, who is gentle, with dark hair and rose-petal cheeks. Still grieving their father, the girls find comfort in nature and spend their time exploring the woods, which holds an unimaginable secret. Like most of the Grimm brothers' tales, this peculiar story carries sinister overtones, but Martin does a nice job of keeping the dark atmosphere from overwhelming younger readers, largely through her whimsical touches. A quirky librarian who offers objects rather than books; a boy with an encyclopedic knowledge of mushrooms; a protective bear companion (though that is in the original); fairies; and lovely full-color illustrationsall these elements lend charm and balance to this tale, where avarice and cruelty fall to kindness and love.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)