Review by Booklist Review
In this abridged version of Andersen's original fairy tale, young Gerda and Kai have long been best friends, but Kai becomes cruel when tiny slivers of a cursed mirror pierce his eye and his heart. Soon the Snow Queen takes him away to her home, and Gerda sets out on a quest to save him. She endures many trials as she travels to the Snow Queen's palace, where she finds Kai and frees him. No source is given for the translation or abridgment. Lacking the religious content woven through Andersen's tale, this edition is more accessible to contemporary children. While the telling is considerably shorter than the original, it is somewhat longer than most picture-book texts. The episodic story moves along well, though, and its length gives viewers plenty of time to linger over the detailed illustrations. Skillfully rendered and beautifully composed, the acrylic gouache paintings create a series of impressive images that many readers will enjoy.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This Andersen tale, one of the few with a genuinely happy ending, provides a showcase for Ibatoulline's dazzling gifts. The story of Kai's enchantment and Gerda's long search to rescue him offers the artist a bouquet of exotic scenes to bring to life. In one, a robber girl brings Gerda to her hideout; Ibatoulline (The Matchbox Diary) paints a dimly lit stable where a lion, flock of doves, reindeer, and other animals are held captive. In another, flickering firelight illuminates the interior of a Lapp woman's tent. Dramatic special effects-a talking crow, a skyful of Northern Lights, and the eerily icy Snow Queen herself-are rendered in thrilling detail. Only the characters' faces, which have the static look of portraits painted from photographs, ruffle the perfection of the spreads. The uncredited retelling ("Don't you see she has the power within her?... Look at all the animals and people who have served her.... That is her true power") draws little attention; it's the magnificent artwork that will keep readers poring over the pages. Ages 4-8. Illustrator's agent: Nancy Gallt, Nancy Gallt Literary Agency. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-Andersen's tale has been considerably abridged to fit into a picture-book format, and the most obvious references to Christianity have been removed. The retelling still emphasizes the struggle between good and evil, as it relates Gerda's quest to rescue her friend Kai from the clutches of the Snow Queen. Ibatoulline's sumptuous paintings perfectly capture the tale's high drama. Appropriately, the first glimpse of the two friends is from the snowy rooftops of their town, though they're snug and warm indoors. Then a splinter from the evil troll's mirror enters the room on a gust of wind, and Kai's heart is pierced. The dramatic moment is seen from above as a whirl of white invades the room. The next scene finds Kai, scared yet stubbornly clinging to his sled as the Snow Queen's sleigh whisks him away into the night. As Kai falls under her enchantment, the story turns to Gerda and her efforts to bring him back. The gentle, wistful child's strength lies in her certitude and innocent love, and she wins over everyone she meets. Whether it's in his meticulously crafted landscapes or in the emotive faces of his characters, Ibatoulline's paintings are eye-catching and memorable. Another outstanding version of a classic story.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A successful abridgement (without attribution) of Andersen's original, omitting the Christian context, this complex picture book is marked by Ibatoulline's dramatic acryl-gouache paintings combining realism and fantasy. Gerda and Kai's great friendship remains at the heart of the story, and Gerda's journey through different lands to rescue her friend, stolen away by the Snow Queen, will engage today's readers. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
One of the great illustrators of our time takes on one of the knottier Andersen fairy tales, producing a gorgeous and winning result. MacDonald's retelling hews closely to Andersen's original in all its complexity but without its Christian allusions. It begins with a prologue: A wicked troll creates a mirror in which everything good looks hideous, and everything evil looks entrancing. The mirror breaks into millions of tiny pieces and pollutes the world. In winter, when Gerda's grandmother tells the story of the Snow Queen to Gerda and her friend Kai, the window flies open, and Kai is pierced by a tiny shard of the troll mirror. He insults Gerda, dashes outside and is whisked away on his sled by the Snow Queen herself. Gerda does not believe he is dead and searches through many adventures and adversities to find and rescue him. Ibatoulline's paintings are a wonder of form and color. On one spread, the icy queen wraps Kai completely in her blue and gray fur blanket; on the next, Gerda takes a boat on a sunlit river in a golden spring to find him. There are princesses and robbers, mysterious crows and talking reindeer. Ibatoulline renders the northern lights more exquisitely than any photograph. A deep subtext of love and loss, childhood and awakening, power and trust resonate through these pages at least as strongly as the magnificent images. (Picture book/fairy tale. 7-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
