Snow White and Rose Red

by Gennady Spirin (Illustrator), Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm

A favorite tale for generations, this story of the triumph of simple kindness over evil finds perfect interpretation in the majestic paintings of Gennady Spirin, whose "palette is deep and subtle, overlaid with a smoky haze of warm gold that heightens the timeless quality of the tale" ("School Library Journal").

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Fantasy

32 pages, Hardcover

Published November 4, 1992

About the author

Gennady Spirin (1948- ) is a Russian painter and children's book illustrator. A graduate of the Surikov School of Fine Art in Moscow and the Moscow Stroganov Institute of Art, he is noted for his unique style of watercolor illustration. He has illustrated works by classic authors such as William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy as well as children's books by contemporary celebrities. His oil paintings hang in public and private galleries throughout the world, and he has been profiled by The New York Times. His depiction of The Nutcracker was selected by Saks Fifth Avenue as the centerpiece of their famous Christmas display in 1997 and 1998. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1992, Spirin immigrated with his wife and sons to the United States, ultimately settling in Princeton, NJ, where he has lived and worked since.

(source: Wikipedia)


Alternate spellings:
Gennadij Spirin
Gennadi Spirin
Генадий Спирин
ガナディ・スピリン

Reviews

[Saffron Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rating is for the edition illustrated by Gennady Spirin.

[Set · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the original story from the Grimm brothers accompanied with Spirin's illustrations. I loved this story as a child because the happy relationship of the sisters reminded me of the loving relationship I have always had with my twin sister. The illustrations are cute and the story is dear to me.

[♥♣Mary♦♠ If She So Pleases · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this beautiful book. A great addition to any collection.
✨✨✨✨✨

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly good, although p.29 has a very odd pin-headed prince. His head is about half the size it ought to be to fit his body. How strange for a great illustrator like Spirin to do such a thing. It's as if he drew the head last and realized he had run out of space.

[Jade aka MrsTosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Takes me back to my childhood! :)

[Emily D. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A strange story about two sisters that befriend a bear. Then they help an obnoxious gnome out of several predicaments, only to have him swatted and killed by the bear. Who then of course turns into a handsome prince, because the gnome had cast a spell on him and turned him into a bear. The prince gets the gnome's treasure, marries Snow White, and conveniently has an equally handsome brother who marries Rose Red.

[Eliza ✨]

Listened to a read-aloud video (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PukWFNG...) just to get a sense of the fairytale that BEAR by Julia Phillips is based on. For that reason, I don’t want to rate it, but I loved BEAR and this added an interesting component. Some aspects are so similar and some are so different. ❤️🤍

[Ruth Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic story.
Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. Girls look doll-like.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic fairy tale with themes of good vs bad. The illustrations are whimsical and detailed!

[Angelika · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a fun fairytale and the illustrations were beautiful. It's one of the less dark fairytales.

[Michelle]

Two kind sisters befriend a bear by giving him a warm, dry place to stay. After several encounters with an ungrateful gnome, the sisters learn that the bear is actually a prince who is set free when the gnome finally meets his demise.

This is a classic fairy tale with a classic happy ending. Beautiful girl meets handsome prince and lives happily ever after. Although in this case, there are two fair maidens.

What strikes me about this particular story is how the girls never compromise who they are, which is kind and caring, no matter how horribly the gnome treats them. Sometimes it can be very difficult not to respond in kind when someone hurts you. It seems that at a young age, the girls have already learned that no matter what others do or say, they have the power to choose how they are going to respond. It has taken me my lifetime to learn this and I fear that I still don't have it down pat!

[SBC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first introduction to the fairy tale of Snow White and Rose Red. It was interesting. The text showed a bit of preference there for Snow White, signalling that she would be the one he married. It was convenient that the prince had a brother that Rose Red could marry. The difference between the two girls was interesting, as was the way they worked so hard at housework for two very young girls! Also, how they stayed out overnight, and once an angel saved them. I liked it that they had the two rose trees as well. I didn't really like the way some of it was written - e.g. at the back where it was talking about the moral of the story it was saying that everything turned out so good for them because they were so kind to the bear but I had thought the two girls were a bit mean - pulling at and teasing it (unless this meant something different in Grimm times). The story made me keen to read the original version and other retellings. I wasn't a bit fan of these illustrations.

[Ramarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I finished Snow White, Blood Red, I was interested in going back to some of original fairy tales. This is one of the Grimms' tales. It is beautifully illustrated with decorative flower borders, and I enjoyed reading the story and feeling like threads of it were familiar to me.

[Amelia Halgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite fairy tales from my childhood but I think I read a slightly different adaptation, it at least had different illustrations. Some of the artwork in this version is very small on the page and even my very patient audience got a little fidgety with this version.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The original story, pictures OK.

[Everbright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth it for the illustrations alone. Incredibly beautiful. A wonderful tale, well told. This is the sort of children's book grownups collect.

[Alisia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated version of Snow White and Rose Red that stays true to the original Grimm story.