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Summary
Summary
One dark winter evening there came a loud thumping on the cottage door. Rose Red sprang up....When she unbolted the door, a great brown bear thrust his head in. Most girls would be frightened if a bear showed up on their doorstep, but not Rose Red. She loves all animals, and invites the bear into her home. This good deed leads to another, and eventually she rescues her new friend from an evil enchantment.With rich and beautifully stylized art that transports us into a magical landscape, and a fresh spin on a familiar Grimm fairy tale, Dan Andreasan has created a unique, high-spirited heroine who deserves to take her place along Cinderella and Snow White.
Author Notes
Jacob W. Grimm (1785-1863) and his brother Wilhelm K. Grimm (1786-1859) pioneered the study of German philosophy, law, mythology and folklore, but they are best known for their collection of fairy tales. These include such popular stories as Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty and The Frog Prince. Commonly referred to now as Grimm's Fairy Tales, their collection was published as Kinder-und-Hausmarchen (Children's and Household Tales, 1812-15).
The brothers were born thirteen months apart in the German province of Hesse, and were inseparable from childhood. Throughout their lives they showed a marked lack of sibling rivalry. Most of their works were written together, a practice begun in childhood when they shared a desk and sustained throughout their adult lives. Since their lives and work were so collaborative, it is difficult now to differentiate between them, but of course there were differences.-
Jacob, who studied for a time in Paris, was fascinated with variant spellings of older words. He articulated "Grimm's Law," the rules of which are still used today to determine correspondences between the consonants of German and languages in the Indo-European family. Jacob was bolder and more experimental than Wilhelm, and was rumored to be a lively dancer. Throughout his life, Jacob kept rigidly to schedule and could be extremely focused on work that demanded close attention to detail. He never married, but was a loving uncle to Wilhelm's children.
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are buried side by side in Berlin.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-This retelling of "Snow White and Rose Red" is significantly different from the original and from other recent picture-book versions. Andreasen omits Rose's sister entirely, setting the stage for his heroine's feminist traits. Rose acts independently, is fearless when a bear (actually a prince under the spell of an evil dwarf) comes calling, and is noted for her intelligence. While the sisters in the original tale assist the wicked dwarf in good-Samaritan style, Andreasen's character is more of an opportunist. At each encounter, she spies the treasure that has been stolen from the bear and extracts the promise of an exchange for her assistance in freeing him. Thus, there is no need for the "bear prince" to use force on the dwarf in the final scene (as in the original). Rose has already reclaimed the prince's treasures and inadvertently rendered the little man helpless by cutting off his hair-the source of his power. The spell over the prince is broken, and he emerges for his "happily ever after." The stylized scenes capture the warm interior light of the cottage and provide interest through shifting perspectives. The gilt endpapers and Nouveau-inspired borders lend an appropriate richness to the story. Those who prefer the original with its altruistic bent, more colorful language, and dramatic climax will want to stick with Gennady Spirin's Snow White and Rose Red (Paperstar, 1997) or the one by Ruth Sanderson (Little, Brown, 1997). An additional purchase.-Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Illustrator Andreasen (Halley Came to Jackson) solos for the first time in an attractive, lucid adaptation of the Brothers Grimm tale "Snow White and Rose Red." Here, Rose Red is an only child, and it is her mother, not Rose Red, who is terrified when a bear knocks at their cottage door one wintry evening. A friendship ensues, and Rose Red is sad when the bear leaves in search of the wicked dwarf who stole his three treasures. Soon, she herself encounters the dwarf and helps him out of one predicament after another; in this version, she demands one of the stolen treasures each time she offers rescue. Her efforts break the spell that had turned a handsome prince into the bear and set the stage for a happy ending. Andreasen puts his own stamp on classic fairy-tale illustration with an intriguing blend of lush vignettes and modern graphics. Using a subtle checkerboard overlay, he draws the eye away from each scene's main elements, inviting readers to explore the whole composition. It's an invigorating touch, as is the repetitive swirling motif that echoes from Rose Red's auburn locks to the branches on the trees, clouds in the sky, ripples in the water and the dwarf's own wild mane. Touches of gilt in the borders and title pages add elegance to the polished presentation. Ages 5-9. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
In this retelling, clever Rose Red rescues a trapped and ungrateful dwarf by cutting off his beard, hair, and mustache. Doing so frees her friend the bear prince from the dwarf's enchantment. The elegant illustrations in warm earth tones are framed with gold and textured with small patterns of squares that create a tapestry-like effect. From HORN BOOK Fall 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In this diminished version of a familiar tale from the Grimms, Andreasen omits Snow White, focusing instead on a braver and more clever Rose Red. Rose Red has no fear when a burly bear comes knocking on her cottage door one winter's night. She ushers the bear to the fire and brushes his coat free of snow. Rose Red and the bear become friends throughout the winter, but when there is a thaw, the bear tells her that he must go retrieve his treasure, stolen by a wicked dwarf. Wandering the forest one day, Rose Red comes upon that very same dwarf, his beard caught in a tree. She saves the little man but demands a portion of the bear's treasure. Three times she comes upon the cantankerous dwarf in desperate straits and each time she assists him, eventually regaining the bear's entire fortune, releasing him from the evil spell that had robbed him of his princehood. Although the heroine is nobody's fool, she predictably marries royalty; there are no deaths, making this version even more benign. Andreasen's elegant artwork, done in powdery hues, is nicely detailed, with every illustration framed in shimmering gold. (Picture book. 5-9)
Booklist Review
Ages 3^-6. Snow White is nowhere to be seen in this adaptation of the Brothers Grimm's "Snow White and Rose Red." Perhaps in an effort to simplify the story (or to avoid confusion with that better-known Snow White), Andreasen elevates Rose Red to the heroine. She gives comfort to a wandering bear and breaks his enchantment by immobilizing the evil troll who has turned him from prince into animal. Both story and art are pleasantly rendered. Andreasen uses familiar fairy-tale conventions (Rose Red has three encounters with the troll, for instance) in a retelling that has simple appeal. The artwork is not distinguished, but touched by a golden glow, the pictures will be agreeably greeted by young ones. --Ilene Cooper
