East of the Sun, West of the Moon

by Susanna Davidson (Adapter), Petra Brown (Illustrator)

A young girl sets out with a great white bear, visiting enchanted castles and riding the wind, in order to save her love from a troll queen.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Picture Books, Fiction, Fairy Tales

63 pages, Hardcover

First published July 31, 2009

About the author

Susanna Davidson also writes as Zanna Davidson.

She joined Usborne Publishing almost straight out of university and has been writing books for them pretty much ever since. She has written about everything from dinosaurs to the Queen to Fairy Ponies and tiny monsters, small enough to fit in your pocket. She is also a mum of two boys and works from home, where she spends most of her time talking to the dog and trying not to eat too much cheese.

Reviews

[Marquise]

If you have a child and would like to read this fairy tale to them without finding surprises not appropriate for their age, this edition by Susanna Davidson and Petra Brown is the one you should go for. It has text that is clean and short, and renders the story clearly and understandably for children, and the artwork is also lovely, limpid, and adequate for young readers.

Personally, it wasn't my favourite precisely because it's for the kiddies. In shortening the story and modifying it to suit the audience, the tale was rendered more childish than it is. And the same happens with the artwork: there's a heavy-handed attempt to anthropomorphise the bear, making him walk on two legs instead of on four as a bear does, and he's drawn a bit cutesy for that reason, too. The relationship between him and Asta (as the girl is called here by the adapter) is made more child-friendly too, like for example the nightly coming to her room to sleep by her side is replaced by cute scenes like when they're by the fireplace in the evenings and she sings to him as the bear rests his head on her lap. It's all so cutesy and sanitised, and that's not for old me.

Also, maybe so as not to frighten the kid audience, the trolls are drawn as just ugly old people. I'm opposed to that vision of trolls, they're not simply ugly humans (and why do these authors always make them old and decrepit?), they're another species, a magical non-human species, so they should be drawn appropriately.

In sum, good for children, not good for older readers.

[Alexandra Chauran]

I've read this fairy tale before, but this is the best retelling for small children. There were beautiful pictures on every page, the book was small enough for small hands, and yet the words were lovely enough for an adult to enjoy.

[Taimi Värva]

Armas klassikalisena kõlav muinaslugu (ausalt, pole aimugi selle tegelikust klassikalisusest). Peamiselt jääb kõlama mõte, et oma südamesoovide nimel tuleb pingutada, küll siis viimaks ka vääriline tasu tuleb. Kui tänapäevast nüanssi otsida, siis oli hästi tore, et mitte tütarlaps polnud abitult ootamas, mil prints valgel ratsul teda päästma tõttab, vaid just vastupidi, äranõiutud lumehelbeke oli hoopis prints ise.

[Angela Tuson]

I haven't read the original, though always mean to, but still enjoyed this fairy tale. I'm not a fan of the 'riding on the back of an animal' trope that pervades folklore - it's too much about the casual dominance of characters who want to be free of dominance themselves. However, the illustrations for this one by Petra Brown were gorgeous and evocative of icy magic, and the precis by Susanna Davidson was a cohesive story.
I DO like Usborne Young Reading!

[Becky Larrabee]

Genre: Traditional Literature
Grade: 2nd-3rd
This is one of my favorite books that I read while growing up. I like how short the chapters are and how descriptive the pictures are in the book to help imagine the story. I also like the moral of the story which is to not judge someone and to listen during important times.

[Apollo Reads]

i love going back to this book. it brings back so many good memories from my childhood. this was given to me as a gift when i was really young, though at the time i didn't read it. later on i found it again and read it in one sitting i fell in love with the story and i would love to read the originally story soon.

[Judy Wollin]

The famous Norwegian fairy tale is retold beautifully as a short story for young readers. This girl sacrifices herself for her family and is carried away by a magical white bear. The white bear has a sad history, too. How do the bear and the girl find their true selves?
I enjoyed the fairytale.
Recommended for readers eight years and older.

[Becky Larrabee]

Genre: Traditional Literature
Grade: 2-3
This is one of my favorite books that I read growing up. I like how it was an easy chapter book to go through and how it did not take long to read. I like how the illustrations are so descriptive throughout the story. I like the moral of the story which is not to judge someone and the importance of listening.

[Jacklyn (ReadingBliss)]

I was unfamiliar with this fairytale, but preread it for my kids. I trust Usborne, but it is still good to read what your kids read, in my opinion, to conversate with them about the story and test their knowledge. I write comprehension questions down for most of the books I preread as a reference. I thought this was a cute fairytale with a love-conquers-all theme and would recommend it.

[Laura]

This was good retelling of the original fairytale. This story "fixed" the problems which I had with the original fairytale but it didn't really add anything new to the story. I wish this story was longer because I really enjoyed all the pictures.

[Olivia-Petra Coman]

One of the most beautifully-illustrated books I've ever read!
Just like a fairy tale should be.

[Lauren]

A lovely “Beauty and the Beast”-meets-“Sleeping Beauty” tale, this makes for a classic bedtime story.

[Samira Hussein]

I read this book when i was very,young but i loved it so much i randomly searched for it, i took some time but when i found it i was very happy. This carries so much nostalgia for me.

[Fabienne]

I liked this story. I didn't hear this fairytale as a child. Jean Auel mentioned it in an interview so I figured I would check it out.

This version was nice and the pictures were beautiful.

[Carri Davis]

👌

[Keira Self]

One of the best folklore fic lits I have ever read. Perfect reading level for all ages and always an enjoyable story.

[Samantha]

It was cool, adventerous and it was a little bit sad. In the end it wasn't sad at all, it was happy. My favorite part is when an old woman gives the little girl 3 golden things: a golden apple, a golden comb and a golden pear.

[Corrine]

This book isn't as good as "East" but is ok. I feel like the author is trying to put too many elements into the book--things that don't really fit the storyline so well. Interesting to see another slant of the fairy tale, though.

[Stephen Theaker]

A beautifully illustrated retelling of the traditional tale, and since my daughter read it to me aged five it'll always have a very special place in my heart.

[Darren]

Not a bad book.

[Dawn VanLerberghe]

Easy chapter book version of a great story. It would make a great read aloud.

[Katie W]

This is a beautifully illustrated tale, and I enjoyed reading the story.