The Snow Queen

The Snow Queen, illustrated by Errol le Cain.

After reviewing no less than eight versions of The Snow Queen during my recent Andersen project, it is probably unnecessary to state that it is one of my favorites, of Hans Christian Andersen's many magical tales. Always curious to see how different illustrators interpret the same tale, I was particularly anxious to obtain this edition, as Errol le Cain's artwork, seen in titles such as Cupid and Psyche and The Pied Piper of Hamelin, generally has great appeal for me.

Unfortunately, it would appear that this title is one of the exceptions, as I did not care for le Cain's paintings here at all. They felt too cramped to me, with figures all jumbled together, and the palette was a little too dark to really capture the sense of wintry enchantment that is so central to the tale. The translation by Naomi Lewis - the same one to be found in the edition illustrated by Toma Bogdanovic - is completely insufficient, omitting the story of the devil's mirror altogether, and so severely condensing the rest, that the end result is an unappealing and disjointed narrative. Such a disappointment, from both a narrative and aesthetic perspective! ( )

The Snow Queen, illustrated by Mary Engelbreit.

I confess that I am not the greatest Mary Engelbreit fan, finding her artwork - which always reminds me of those sickeningly sweet greeting cards I so deplore - rather too cute for my taste. But a friend mentioned her version of The Snow Queen, and as I seem to be reading and reviewing every other retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale, I thought I'd take a look. I shouldn't have.

The narrative here (Engelbreit's own? The work of some other translator? - No such information is given) is somewhat abridged - no fairy-tales from the flowers in the old witch's garden - but still retains the basic seven-chapter format of the original, including the framing story of the goblin's mirror. There are a few odd word choices, and a number of cases in which the tale is subtly altered, smoothing out some of its sharper corners. The crow who assists Gerda doesn't die in the end, he "retires." The narrator specifies that the Snow Queen means harm to the grapes and lemons on Etna and Vesuvius, rather than letting the reader appreciate the irony of her statement that she will "do them good."

These are minor changes, of course, and might not have irritated me quite as much, if I had enjoyed the accompanying illustrations. Unfortunately, I found them ludicrously inappropriate for the tale in question, with Gerda and Kay looking like nothing so much as stiff porcelain figurines. I can't think of an artist whose style is less suited to The Snow Queen. Engelbreit's fans will undoubtedly enjoy this one, but I would recommend that others give it a miss. There are far, far superior editions out there, from Vladyslav Yerko's masterpiece, to the lovely version illustrated by Angela Barrett. ( )

The Snow Queen, illustrated by P.J. Lynch.

I think that I have finally reached the conclusion of that portion of my Hans Christian Andersen project devoted to The Snow Queen, and after eleven different picture-book retellings, it's about time! How glad I am that this edition, adapted by Caroline Peachey and illustrated by P.J. Lynch, is the final one to be read, rather than the insipid version done by Mary Engelbreit, as I can conclude this mini-investigation on the right note!

With a narrative that is mostly faithful to the original, retaining its seven-chapter format, Peachey's text reads well and keeps the reader's attention. The fairy-tales told by the flowers in the old witch's garden are omitted, which seems to be a rather common decision, for those abridging this tale, but otherwise this seems to be an accurate and faithful translation. The illustrations by P.J. Lynch - who also worked on Andersen's The Steadfast Tin Soldier - are gorgeous, capturing the wild enchantment of the tale. I particularly liked his full two-page spreads, of the Snow Queen hovering over the town, of Gerda in the enchanted flower garden, and of her journey under the vast Northern Lights. Not quite the equal of Vladyslav Yerko's edition, I would rank this with Angela Barrett's version, which is high praise indeed! Well worth the time of any reader with a love of this particular tale, or an appreciation of beautiful fairy-tale art. ( )

The Snow Queen, illustrated by Arieh Zeldich.

At over one hundred pages, this edition of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen - like that illustrated by June Atkin Corwin - is less of a traditional picture-book, and more of an illustrated chapter-book, or short novella. Actress and director Eva Le Gallienne - whose work in this vein also includes a retelling of Andersen's The Nightingale - offers a full translation, keeping to the original seven-part format. Ukrainian-born artist, Arieh Zeldich, contributes numerous full and two-page color plates.

Unfortunately, Le Gallienne's narrative did not live up to my expectations, a particular disappointment, given my fondness for her Nightingale. Although her translation does not stray too far from Andersen's original prose, the many minor changes eventually began to irritate me. The cumbersome way in which Gerda's hymn is handled - "In the valley where the roses bloom, / The Christ child we shall see; / We shall talk to Him and hear His voice, / And blessed we shall be!" - the fact that Kai is unable to unfasten his sled from that of the Snow Queen because of some "strange power," rather than being prevented from doing so by her friendly nods; and the curious way in which the fairy-tales told by the flowers in the Witch's garden are edited, all contributed to my sense of a mostly accurate translation that's missing... something.

As for Arieh Zeldich's illustrations, they were simply a little too garish for my taste, particularly those plates featuring any kind of pink or purple hues (which was a great many of them). I also found that I did not care for the way he depicted his human characters, whose faces looked somehow out of proportion. I don't want to overstate the case: this is a pretty edition, and it's probable that other readers will warm to it more than I did, but of the many Snow Queens I have read, this would definitely not rank amongst my favorites. ( )

The Snow Queen, illustrated by Sally Holmes.

English folklorist Neil Philip - whose subsequent Andersen projects include the two collections, Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen and The Little Mermaid and Other Fairy Tales - joined forces with artist Sally Holmes to create this charming retelling of The Snow Queen. With an engaging translation that maintains the seven-chapter format of the original, and delightful illustrations - some full-page plates, others interspersed in the text - this edition is sure to please fairy-tale lovers.

I wasn't entirely convinced, at first, that Holmes' style - with its soft pastel palette, and many cozy scenes - was suitable for The Snow Queen, but I was gradually won over, especially as her use of decorative folk motifs began to remind me a bit of Carl Larsson's work. I also appreciated the fact that Holmes' version is the only one - that I have seen, at any rate - to depict some of the fairy-tales related by the flowers in the Old Woman's garden. It was interesting to see the tiny illustration of the three princesses in their coffins, for instance, as most illustrators concentrate on the major scenes of the main narrative, ignoring such minor diversions. All in all, a lovely retelling, which might have won four stars, if Holmes' depiction of the Snow Queen herself hadn't looked so off to me. Still, this is one criticism in a sea of praise, and I would nevertheless advise readers who love this tale to take a look at this version. ( )