Thursday, October 20, 2016

The Snow Queen



Hot off the presses in October is a reprint of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, illustrated by a very fascinating artist, Sanna Annukka.  Drawing on her Finnish background, Annukka brings a wholly unique and visually stunning take on a classic tale.

I have enjoyed reading fairy tales as a child and have read a fair number of them to my six children. I had not, however, read "The Snow Queen" in it's entirety before reading this volume.  I have to admit that while reading this to my 9 year old, we were both a little confused. It's a tale made up of seven parts that frankly were a little hard to follow (but stick with it and in the end, most of it will make sense--sort of like life!). One thing that pleasantly surprised me were comments about God and heaven and references to singing about the Christ Child.

I am a firm believer in the power of story and particularly fairy tales to help impart wisdom and give the readers an opportunity to look at truths from a distance. I think it's often easier to swallow a difficult lesson when you see someone else experiencing it.

This is not a book I would just hand a child. Parents may want to read the book first and research a bit of background on the tale.  It would make an excellent read aloud category so that adult and child can talk about what they think the story means. There really are some lovely conclusions one can draw from Andersen's tale.

I found the artwork particularly fascinating (the cover art is a good representation of the interior art). It's a great way to introduce children to a very unique form of art. Every illustration has numerous geometrically patterned designs. I think the book would make an excellent springboard for some artistic exploration for both children and adults.

Visit Annukka's website to find out more about her interests and other projects.  Or follow her on Instagram to keep up with her creative developments.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of The Snow Queen from Blogging for Books for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

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