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Book Review of The Snow Queen (Illustrated)

The Snow Queen (Illustrated)
jjares avatar reviewed on + 3262 more book reviews


This year, I'm trying to read more classic books and decided that this lovely book would be a good one to try. The illustrations (and this book is lavishly illustrated) are Victorian and utterly charming. This book was originally published in 1844 and I understand that it has been retold and animated many times.

As the story begins, a demon creates a mirror that makes everything look sordid and ugly. It breaks and the pieces and shards fly around the world, causing people to see things in this negative light. Kay and Gerda, two lifelong friends live across from each other in houses, each with small garden pots. Things go along well until Kay gets one of those mirror pieces and starts to see the ugly in the world.

One day, he is collected by the Snow Queen, while he is out sledding. The rest of the story is about Gerda, through resilience and virtue, travels until she finds Kay and brings him back home. Anderson wrote his children's stories for everyone; there's a moral to this tale. I'd be curious to see how children respond to this story of people kissing each other's hands, etc. However, it is an adventure, that would appeal to most.