School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2 Iwasaki's handling of watercolors is competent, particularly her manner of blending transparent hues to create the appearance of sensuous textures. These areas of chromatic interplay produce a visual vibrancy which, unfortunately, is not captured in her delineation of the characters. Snow White is a vacuous doll, the Prince an equally characterless wimp and the wicked stepmother is as frightening as a soap opera star. Comparing Burkert's meticulously researched settings and her personification of her teenage heroine (Farrar, 1972) or Hyman's gut-wrenching depiction of a decaying psychotic queen (Little, 1979; o.p.) to this saccharine rendering makes the publisher's decision to salvage a series of paintings by an artist who died more than ten years ago questionable. On several pages it's clear that there is no relationship between text and image. The telling is too flat for so emotional a series of hates and loves, double-dealings and rejuvenations. And the pictures, pretty as many are, fail to shape the psychological drama that has kept this tale so popular. Kenneth Marantz, Art Education Department, Ohio State University, Columbus (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.