Mary Engelbreit's the Snow Queen

I am a big fan of Candlewick Press since they have the most beautiful illustrated children books. This is the main reason why I decided to purchase this illustrated edition of the Snow Queen and I am so very glad I did so. The illustrations in this book amazing and, together with the quality of the book itself (which is always the case with Candlewick Press) and the wonderful story, they make this book a great buy. The print is nice and big and while it is probably not for a very young reader, I would say that an early independent reader can handle this book, especially since the rich illustrations help keep the reader's attention on the book and not get discouraged. I highly recommend this book also for young children: My six year old loves the story and the pics and will happily sit through the whole book.

My son and I both enjoyed this beautifully rendered book. The story is very interesting..a great example of children's literature.

"The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen is one of the world's most memorable fairy tales. Gerda's journey to find her lost friend and her visit to the ice palace of the Snow Queen capture a child's imagiantion as few tales do. Creatively dramatic illustrations make this a valuable addition to the annals of children's literature.

Hans Christian Andersen is one of the most famous writers of fairy tales. The Snow Queen is one of the longest tales and one of his best known. He would listen to folk and fairy tales as a child and when he grew up, he wrote some of these stories in his own words. Anderson began writing The Snow Queen on December 5, 1844 and it was published sixteen days later in book form! His fairy tales made him famous and the stories have been translated into more than 100 languages and some have been made into films, like the Little Mermaid. Nilesh Mistry is one of my favorite illustrators. He was born in Bombay and moved to London, England in 1975. His books include The Illustrated Book of Fairy Tales and Aladdin. I simply want to own every book he illustrates! In the story of The Snow Queen, you will find illustrations and photography that shows the settings of the original book. This classic is again brought to life, yet never so beautifully as with Nilesh Mistry's art. Kai is whirled away by the icily beautiful Snow Queen. His playmate Gerda sets out to find him and encounters many adventures in his quest. This is a story I remember very well, yet I had to imagine the pictures in my own mind as a child. In this book, she looks hauntingly similar to how I pictured her as a child. "The driver stood up, in a coat and hat of purest snow. She was a woman, tall and glittering. She was the Snow Queen." The story begins with a story about the Devil who laughed at his own cleverness. He creates a mirror that sets people against one another by making people see the ugly side of things. If a splinter of glass from the mirror ever entered a person's eye, their heart would become a lump of solid ice. (quite a lesson there to be sure!) When the "imps" decide to take the mirror up to the angels and try to make fun of them, it falls and shatteres into a hundred pieces. When "Kai" finds a grain of glass in his heart his entire attitude to life is changed. "Keep away from me!" he screeches at his friend Gerda. Then one day he falls off his sled and sees the Snow Queen. She kisses him with her cold lips on his forehead and she takes him away through a cloud of darkness up into the sky. When Kai doesn't come home, Gerda goes looking for him. She sings to the river and drifts in a boat down a river to find Kai. Gerda is a contrast to Kai and is loving and kind. Only when a spell is broken is evil defeated. After the story a page of where the event takes place helps make the story more interesting. Finally, we can explore the real and imaginary world of The Snow Queen. Even as an adult, I am fascinated by fairy tales. They appeal to the child in us all and to something deep inside of us that knows, good will triumph over evil, in the end. ~The Rebecca Review

If you're looking for a special book for any child, look no further; pick up Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen", illustrated by Mary Engelbreit. This delightful story will not only whisk your child away within it's beautiful artwork, it will mesmorize you as well! Mary Engelbreit does it again with her incredible talent, making this book, for our family, a book to be cherished and handed down for many years to come. Her wonderful artwork in this book will captivate whoever reads it and bring a smile to anyone's face! :-) (Also wonderful as a coffee table book!)