Oh Grimm fairy-tales, why do you continue to terrify me, even at the age of 26?
I kid, I kid. Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs, translated by Randall Jarrell and illustrations by Nancy Ekholm Burkert, is the fairy-tale that we have come to expect, in that it is indeed the original story filled with the mystical (something that draws the child in) and of course, the violence which we always seem to forget exists in these pages.
The classic story leaves Snow-White cast away by her wicked step mother, but happily taken in by seven dwarfs (no worries, she repays them by being their lady-servant and doing all the household chores). Snow-White's Step Mother has the magic mirror that will NOT stop selling Snow-White out, claiming her alive every time the Step-Mother asks, mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? Her attempts at killing Snow-White all fail, and the good news? Snow-White's prince charming comes along, and she (thank god!) lives happily ever after.
Should children read this? Sure, it's history but please, please talk to your child about this. And if they look the least bit frightened, just look at the beautiful illustrations!
I'd recommend reading this book to a child 6+!
I love the Snow-White story, in all it's wickedness,
5 out of 5
Genre- Folktale/Fairy Tale
No comments:
Post a Comment