Book Review: The Tale of Snow White and the Widow Queen by J. Pageau et al.

The Tale of Snow White and the Widow Queen written by Jonathan Pageau and illustrated by Heather Pollington

The story of Snow White has been immortalized by the Disney film from the 1930s. Based on a Grimms' fairy tale, everyone knows the tale of a young princess driven from the castle by a jealous and vain step-mother with a magic mirror (and other magics, as it turns out). This adaptation fills out some of the story, giving more background to Snow White's true parents, her birth, and her life under her step-mother. Many of the elements are familiar from other fairy tales (Snow White becomes a servant in the castle like Cinderella; the temptation with the poisoned apple is explicitly paralleled with the Garden of Eden temptation; etc.). The storytelling also uses the rule of threes several times to great effect, giving it a sense of classic fairy tale narrative. The story becomes fuller and richer in Pageau's telling.

The illustrations are even better. Pollington has worked in film art departments for Guillermo del Toro, among other filmmakers, and has an unerring sense of visual storytelling, especially in the folk-lore or mythic modes. The full-page images convey important story moments with many details thrown in. Visual motifs are reused to good effect, like the parallel between Snow White's mother's deathbed and Snow Whites' glass coffin.  The illustrations are delightful and fascinating.

Highly recommended--this is the start of a series of fairy tales retold by Pageau and I am sure to get future volumes.