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SNOW WHITE by Melinda Copper

SNOW WHITE

by Melinda Copper & illustrated by Melinda Copper

Pub Date: Sept. 1st, 2005
ISBN: 0-525-47474-9
Publisher: Dutton

Interpretations of this favorite Grimm tale range from Disney cute to the sophisticated elegance of Nancy Elkholm Burkert. Copper envisages it with animals, casting Snow White as a rabbit, the evil queen as a cat and the dwarves as mice. The readable text aligns with the original telling, retaining the rhymed questions to the mirror. However, the focus here is in the illustrations, finely detailed, richly colored paintings that dress the animals in handsome period clothing. But . . . replacing humans with animals for this beloved classic doesn’t hold the same romance and magic; it’s almost as bad as depicting Peter Rabbit and family as people. Maybe exchanging the characters for animals would make the tale less scary for very young ones, but kids deserve better. This variation can’t begin to hold a candle to Charles Santore’s exquisite version, recently reissued, that will enchant children so much more. (Fairytale. 4-6)