The Snow Princess

The daughter of Father Frost and Mother Spring, the Snow Princess grows up in wintry isolation, with only her parents for company. When she becomes a young woman, she sets out to explore the world, her father's warning about the dangers of falling in love with a human - something that will lead to her death - ringing in her ears. Despite this warning, the princess eventually meets, is befriended by, and falls in love with a young human man named Sergei. Not wanting to die, she attempts to withdraw, only for the snowstorm she summons to endanger Sergei. Can she buy her life at the price of his...?

Based upon The Snow Maiden, a Russian ballet composed by Rimsky-Korsakov, The Snow Princess has all of the hallmarks of a classic fairy-tale, show more with the forces of nature, star-crossed lovers, and fateful choices pitting survival against love all playing a role. Ruth Sanderson has changed the ending of the story here, making it less tragic - yes, the Snow Princess will die, but only in the fullness of time, as all mortals do. The artwork, done in oil paint, is absolutely gorgeous. I have a weakness for wintry scenes, so it was probably a foregone conclusion that I would enjoy this one, but Sanderson's paintings are still just lovely. I think my favorite scenes were the ones in which the Snow Princess walks along with the polar bear, and the one in which she kneels over a fallen Sergei. Recommended to Ruth Sanderson fans, and to anyone who appreciated beautifully-illustrated fairy-tales. show less

A classic theme, but unfamiliar, I'm sure, to most modern readers. Adequately told.
But omg the art. People nature animals clothing & other manmade textures... all exquisite... which is unusual, as most illustrators have trouble with something (usually human faces).

The illustrations were beautiful, but the story was predictable, and unfortunately the words didn't flow as smoothly as the images did.

This picture book tells the tale of the daughter of Father Frost and Mother Spring, and how she leaves her home in the icy north to see the world. She is given one warning from them before she leaves: she is safe from death as long as she never falls in love. The book follows her travels around the world, and her adventure meeting humans. Sanderson takes the plot from a Russian opera, also called The Snow Princess and writes with a straightforward style. The color illustrations are incredibly beautiful and the dust jacket has glitter on it to depict the magical snow. This is great for ages 4-9.

I read this book in Japnanese when I was about 5 years old.
But I got different sence from then.