Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs by Davide Cali

by Davide Calì

Snow White is on the run from an evil witch when she comes across some dwarfs in the forest. They agree to take her in and keep her safe if she will help them with their chores. She soon realizes she's taking on a lot more than she bargained for. 77 breakfasts to make, 77 lunches to pack (don't forget the juice boxes!), 77 pairs of pants to mend and a whole lot of dishes. Eventually Snow White decides to take her chances with the witch. There's a surprise ending... well, it may not be so surprising. This is a hilarious retelling of the classic tale, with bright, energetic illustrations featuring busy dwarfs, and the even busier Snow White.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Humor, Fractured Fairy Tales, Storytime, Fantasy

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Davide Calì is a Swiss-born Italian writer of picture books and graphic novels, primarily for children and young adults. He lives in Italy. His work has been published in twenty-five countries and translated into many languages.

Reviews

[Lacey Louwagie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to let this conversation with my husband serve as my review:

Him: This book is stupid!
Me: Why is it stupid?
Him: It has no point! There's no moral.
Me: It does to have a point! The point is that doing housework for a bunch of men really sucks, and it's not a good deal even if it lets you hide from the witch.
Him: Well, yeah, but we don't see what happens to the dwarfs after she leaves. They don't LEARN anything. Like that maybe they should have appreciated her a little more.

It's a valid criticism. This book would've been better if the dwarfs realized how much they made Snow White's life suck.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turning the Snow White story on its head, the young princess is rushing through the forest and stumbles upon a cottage with 77 mini-helpers. While they are kind, they are also much work and this keeps Snow White on her toes and highly agitated. Laundry, lunches, and after supper dishes become the norm for this girl who sought to flee a wicked palace. In the end, Snow White begs to be captured or suffer the evils of an apple... and everyone can see why! Neo laughed about this book and liked to see Snow White complaining about all that she had going on with her. While perhaps not his favourite story of the weekend, it surely packed a humorous punch.

[John of Canada · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the Disney version.I had a lot of trouble keeping track of the dwarfs names.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freaking hilarious! I loved it and the twist it took on the fairytale. I mean I didn't expect that ending and I loved the artwork. Definitely recommend reading this one.

[Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come closer to the release date.

[Shiloah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute waste of time. There’s an underlined message of suicide by eating two poisoned apples to avoid dealing with overwhelm.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

She gets so frazzled that she has no choice but to basically commit suicide.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha encantado, pero me hubiera gustado que fuera más largo, solo tiene 30 páginas 😅 Soy muy fan del final!

[Sarah Sallans · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this from NetGalley for an honest opinion.

**As a mom of 4 daughters (3 my own, 1 step ), I LOVE reading children's books. The books I read as a child are the reason why I am the reader I am today. I read the books I receive alone and with my daughters to get their feedback as well!

First off, lets take a moment to admire the illustrations on the front of the book, and inside. AMAZING art work. This is the type of artwork I love, because the style and the bright colors help keep my ADHD daughters attention when reading. These are the books I tend to go towards when looking for books in my home.

I laughed, SO much reading this book. Some of the illustrations of Snow Whites face, perfectly describe how I feel as a parent some days.

Snow White is trying to escape the evil witch, when she comes across 77 dwarfs. She soon learns that doing things for 77 people is really difficult. She goes in search of the witch, and the ending had me laughing so much. It was such a cute take on an old classic, and not only did I love it, my girls loved it.

I want to see more books with this sort of illustrations in it. It keeps everyone hooked, and the added hilarity of it made it that much better. It's greatly enjoyable for both adults and kids.

I will be adding this beauty to my children's collection when it comes out in April!

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Snow White is feeling a little flustered caring for 77 demanding dwarfs. From preparing their lunches, (don't forget the juice boxes) to remembering their unique names. So overwhelmed by life, she opts to choose her initial fate and eagerly accepts the poisoned apple from the witch.

I love a good fairy tale retelling, but this wasn't quite what I had expected. I'll admit I laughed out loud when I reached the page featuring Snow in her deep sleep accompanied by a sign instructing not to wake her. As the mom of five demanding children, I can totally sympathize. Unfortunately, I'm not sure this is a great message for the littles. Maybe an older kiddo who can appreciate the dark humor (and understands that it is simply meant to be funny). This probably won't go over well with any of the little princess lovers in your house who want Snow White to end up with the prince, but I thought it was hilarious. After 12 years of marriage I admit I might be a little jaded ;)

Illustrations are top notch featuring amazing colors and details. Love the frazzled looking, complete with bags under her eyes, Snow the most.

[Alison Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is lovely. The illustrations are insanely eye-catching. The story is hilarious.

There are many reviewers who stated that this book may not go over well with children because the humor is aimed at adults. I disagree. While the humor behind finding 77 little, demanding men (think - children) is certainly hilarious to adults, I can say for a fact that children understand it and think it is funny as well. I am an outreach librarian and I read this book to almost 90 different 1st and 2nd grade students, and they all seemed to love it. I asked them why they though Snow White WANTED to eat the poisoned apples, and they all knew it was because she was "sick and tired of all those dwarfs!"

[Senator · Rating 3 out of 5]

True rating: 3.5 While from the outside "Snow White & the 77 Dwarfs" looks like a kids' book, the inside reads more like the comedic "Go the F*ck to Sleep" book aimed at adults -- without the swear words. Snow White finds herself cooking and cleaning for all 77 dawrfs in stunning illustrations, but what child reading this book will identify with being exhausted and haggard from so much laborous activity? Not many, I imagine, although the parents will get a kick out of it.

***Many thanks to Tundra Books & NetGalley for a galley to be used for honest bookseller/ review purposes***

[RH Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange bitter revisionist tale with a lot of dwarf names and Snow White begging for poison apples by the end. It contains lots of elements that Freddie likes: mischievous dwarfs; a witch; strong feelings; color; and engaging scenes. A book that makes me wonder "why does she like this so much?" and then after all the chaos, exasperation and humor, I think "ah." Highly recommended if you love color.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great. I loved hearing C read it aloud. A loved Snow White's more unusual hairstyle, and we all giggled out loud when she got fed up with all the household chores to take care of 77 people plus herself! I though the book was going in the direction of "Why should I do all the housework?" but it actually ended in an even funnier way. Loved it!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be perfectly frank, I didn't care much for the story itself. However, the illustrations were divine. So many colors and so many dwarves! lots of silliness, including some very silly dwarf names (my favorite was Memaw). Props to the illustrator for drawing such mass qualities of dwarves over and over. a joy to behold.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more for parents than kids.

Snow White is expected to make 77 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, and do laundry and dishes for 77 dwarfs. She runs out and gladly eats the poisoned apple to fall into a deep slumber. The end.

[Christine Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review on the blog: http://padfootslibrary.blogspot.ca/20...

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly, entertaining take on the fairy tale. Great use of color.

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs, written by Davide Cali and illustrated by Raphaelle Barbanegre, a slightly strange little import that explores the plight of an overwrought caregiver.

You know the old story: a beautiful young girl, a wicked witch, a poisoned apple. Fleeing into the forest, Snow White finds a small home to shelter in, but not the one that houses seven dwarfs – no, this version houses SEVENTY-seven. Grateful for the dwarfs’ offer of shelter, she pitches in around the house: cooking, cleaning, brushing beards, etc. She quickly begins to get overwhelmed, however, especially when each dwarf requires a different bedtime story, they’re all picky eaters, and no one is willing to lend a hand at all! Snow White is rapidly losing her composure and patience, and this time, when she meets the witch in the woods with a poison apple, her answer may be a different one.

The issue with imports (this title was originally published in Italy) is that the humor doesn’t translate always as well as the art. Here, for instance, the end gag has a somewhat dark tone; that’s not to say it’s not funny, as it’s definitely a joke that parents will appreciate, but it may be confusing for little kids, especially to whom “poison” implies “deadly” or “lethal”. Indeed, anyone reading this needs to be familiar with the more classic Snow White story, or this reads as a very brief and somewhat dark book. On the other hand, the colorful, incredibly detailed and hilarious art is wonderful, and translates beautifully; Snow’s increasingly harried expression is especially humorous. The pace is fairly brisk, so it’s a quick read, and JJ enjoyed the colorful artwork. Overall, this is a good one for bookworms for a more mature sense of humor, be they caregivers or kids with a sharper sense of comedy, and in that regard, it’s Baby Bookworm approved.

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Megan (ReadingRover) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was a disappointment for me. The illustrations were dynamic, brightly colored and bold which is one of the reasons I chose it but the story itself failed. Snow White escapes the evil witch to live with 77 dwarves. She hates all the work she has to do so much that she leaves and goes back to the evil witch to be poisoned and put to sleep. She basically is willing to risk death so she doesn’t have to do the work for the dwarves. There are none of the other classic elements to the story like the times the witch comes looking for her and the dwarves save her. It’s just a ton more dwarves than in the original, a ton more work and Snow White would rather kill herself than deal with that shit. Like what the fuck lesson is that to teach kids? I’m all for weird or darkly funny books but that’s only good if the target audience knows what’s up. I don’t think a kid is really going to get it. This just seems darker than it’s meant to be. Then again it’s late and I’ve written more than the total words in the whole book so who knows what kids will think. 2 stars for the bold illustrations.

[Aolund · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fractured fairy tale where Snow White quickly tires of caring for the 77, rather than 7, dwarfs she encounters once she escapes her wicked stepmother. While the book itself doesn't take this version of the story to its logical ultimate conclusion, which I imagine as Snow White insisting that the dwarfs start pulling their own weight in caring for their own selves and home, it would be easy to draw out this point through discussion of the book. Because the book assumes knowledge of the traditional version of Snow White, this book is better for an early elementary audience.

Themes: Fairy tales, Chores

[Albine Eien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, le livre est amusant, très color et je comprends l'idée de multiplier les problèmes de Blanche Neige par 11.
Mais les nains n'ont rien appris de cette aventure, ils n'ont jamais appris qu'il fallait apprécier tout ce que la princesse a fait pour elle (mais bon, les mecs sont comme ça en général, tu peux leeur expliquer cent fois, ça ne rentre pas).
Et

Blanche Neige choisit de manger pas une mais DEUX pommes pour échapper à ce calvaire et refuse d'être réveillée par un prince ? La mort (sort of) plutît que la servitude ? En terme féministe, c'est une décision affreuse.

[Marissa Gidcomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story by Davide Cali is a funny twist on the Snow White and the 7 dwarfs story, where instead of 7 dwarfs, Snow White is taking care of 77 dwarfs. She has to wash their clothes, brush their beards, cook their meals, and wash their dishes all without help. Finally, Snow White has had enough and leaves. She runs into the witch and happily accepts the poisoned apple she offers her and falls into a long sleep.
This book is hilarious with fun illustrations. I found it interesting how they changed the ending. I would use this book to teach about helping.

[Mh Weyler]

This probably belongs under adult reads. This book is a kid's book retelling the story of Snow White from her perspective. But instead of a sweet kid's tale, it is a very humorous look at what it would be like to take care of some messy, noisy dwarfs day after day. Probably better read alone by all the moms than a traditional read-aloud. This book really touched my sense of humor though because it strikes a chord with the feeling of being exhausted and a bit overworked.

[Jenn Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fractured fairy tale starts out just like the original Snow White but takes a left turn when we get to the part of her meeting the dwarfs. In this book there is 77 of them. Yep. 77 little men that she has to cook and clean for. If I was her I would have done the EXACT same thing she did in this book. My daughter enjoyed this story too. Would recommend.

[Paulina Paredes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is different than the traditional Snow White story that we know. She runs away from the witch and now has to care for 77 dwarfs. After a few days she becomes very tired and decides to take her chances with the witch. The ending to the story surprised me because she is actually not waiting for a kiss to wake her up, she just wants to rest!

[Taylor Paull · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this retold classic of Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs! It has a surprise ending which was unexpected but relates to real life. I got a big laugh at the end which I was not expecting!! A must read for children who love the classic and want to see it written in a different way! The main idea here is that every princess needs their personal time!

[Demi Grosely · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was a cute spin off of the original story and would be great for a lesson about spin off stories. However, the length of the story and its ending were a bit disappointing. I gave the story three stars because I wish the author would've expanded the story more. A sweet and funny story nevertheless and would be fun for students to read after the original story.

[Amparo TD · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lo leí desde Ebiblio. Me llamo la atención el nombre y la portada. Me esperaba algo mejor, pero es una interpretación extraña del cuento de toda la vida. Tiene muchas ilustraciones, pero no me han llamado nada. Además, deberían repasar el libro digital, por que algunas páginas tienen la mitad del cuento, y la otra completamente en blanco, queda bastante mal.

[Alexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

- great illustrations: Snow White's so expressive, there are lots of silly details, and the color palette's really vibrant and pretty
- pretty forking funny: dwarves all have silly names, the attitude's too good, and I chuckled at the ending
- really fun twist on the classic fairy tale

Our favorite version of Snow White!