Snow & Rose

Rose and Snow are daughters of a wealthy man and his wife. The father goes into the woods and never returns, and the family is forced to move to a small cottage in the woods. The girls often play outside and run across interesting creatures. They twice rescue a strange dwarf and also rescue a huge bear from a trap. They meet a boy their own age, Ivo, who lives underground with his family. When the families get together for a holiday dinner, the girls hear that several people have disappeared. It’s suspected the bear has taken them. When Ivo disappears, his uncle is on a rampage to kill the bear, but the bear has been with the girls and they know he is innocent. The girls must save him, but the danger is great.

This retelling of “Rose Red and Snow White” by author/illustrator Emily Winfield Martin is perfectly enchanting. The lyrical language has all the earmarks of a classic fairy tale, and the charming illustrations complement the story perfectly. This retelling has wonderfully rounded characters and all the magic a fairy tale should possess. This lovely book deserves a far wider audience than its intended middle-grade readers.