Little Daughter of the Snow
PreSchool-Grade 4–An old man and woman build a snow girl, hoping that she will come alive and relieve their sorrow at being childless. At twilight, she begins to sing and dance, promising that she will continue to laugh and…play, unless she learns that they do not truly love her, and then she will melt away. Their days pass happily until spring, when the snow girl becomes lost in the woods. A red fox brings her home safely, but the couple begrudges him a fat hen as his reward. Feeling that they love her less than a hen, the child melts away and returns to her parents, Frost and Snow. Taken from Ransome'sOld Peter's Russian Tales(Puffin, 1975; o.p.), this folktale has been abridged and updated, making the text more concise and easier to understand. The modern language is juxtaposed with the snow daughter's songs, which have been quoted from the original (e.g., No warm blood in me doth glow,/Water in my veins doth flow). The textured, folk-style illustrations invest the story with new energy and depict details of traditional Russian peasant life. Cool blues and whites capture the snowy outdoors, contrasting with the warm oranges in the old people's loving home. A well-told and colorfully illustrated version of a story about love and priorities.–Suzanne Myers Harold, Multnomah County Library System, Portland, ORCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.