The Snow Queen - Hardcover

Gr 3 Up - Gerda's long journey to rescue her beloved childhood friend Kay from the Snow Queen's entrapment is fully and elegantly presented here. A commanding cover portrait of the steely-eyed queen with the boy wrapped in her intricate icy cloak, both gazing directly at readers, suggests a picture book. But the oversize volume, first published in Ukraine, is more of an illustrated story divided into short chapters. No translator is credited for the smooth narration, which makes few changes or omissions in the telling. Andersen's references to God and the Christ child are gone, but the angels are still here, and the biblical conclusion remains: "Except ye become as little children, ye shall in no way enter into the kingdom of God." The story presents a rich melange of religious faith, magic, good and evil, and a majestic natural world in which humans and animals communicate in speech, along with the fine array of women aiding Gerda's quest. Yerko's sumptuous paintings were prestigiously awarded in his home country. The single- and double-page views and many small vignettes vary in faithfulness to and fanciful departure from the narrative, but they're full of detail, humor, and beauty that invite and reward careful viewing. An image of Gerda mounted on the reindeer truly reflects the snowy ride through Finland and Lapland. The large jaunty crow in human dress, hat, and vest humorously adorned with safety pins, hardware bits, and other found objects is a handsome sight that expands the action in the story. VERDICT: This lovely rendering of Andersen's complex tale offers readers much to ponder. It's a splendid choice for library collections, wintry read-aloud sharing, and gift giving.-- (12/28/2016)

This wintry tale has warmed the hearts of children around the world for almost 200 years. It was written by master storyteller Hans Christian Andersen (1805—1875). The tale describes the amazing adventures of Gerda, who goes off in search of her friend Kay after the Snow Queen takes him away. The illustrations to the book were created by Vladyslav Yerko, a well-known Ukrainian illustrator and recipient of many awards at prestigious art and book fairs. He also received the title "Man of Books" when he was named best artist for 2002 by the Moscow "Book Review". His illustrations became widely known through his work on the books of Paulo Coelho and his work on Andersen's The Snow Queen, which won the Grand Prix award in the "Book of the Year" competition for 2000. Well-known writer Paulo Coelho said of Yerko's The Snow Queen: "This is the most wonderful children's book I've seen in my life".