The Snow Queen | The Fir Tree

As you get older, there comes a point when you look back at childhood stories and see that there’s something not right about many of them. Hans Christian Andersen’s tales are like this – there is something dark and deceptively twisted. Since these particular two share a similar new publication, I am reviewing them together. “The Snow Queen”: in which Gerda sets out to find her lost best friend Kay, and “The Fir Tree”: in which a sentient fir tree gets removed from its forest home and is introduced to fire. Rather than shortening their summary, I will focus on some common elements and what sets the new releases apart (the artwork).

Fairy tales in general have a nice simplicity to them, where all the loose ends gets tied up, and can be read or told in a short amount of time. Hans’s stories feature talking plants and animals, common in fantasy, but still absurd. Often there is a benevolent grandmother, and strangers that the protagonists shouldn’t talk to, let alone follow. You have to wonder sometimes, who was he writing for? Yet, we still read and celebrate these stories so many generations later. “The Snow Queen,” where a mirror made by the devil distorts everyone’s vision, was an inspiration for the movie “Frozen.” The best adaptation though, in my opinion, is GrooveLily’s “Striking 12,” their take on “The Little Match Girl,” which gave me a new appreciation for this Danish writer. “The Snow Queen” is unusual in having a relatively happy ending; the poor, lonesome “Fir Tree” is left to its fate, while its human users are oblivious to its wooden feelings.

The new artwork, by Sanna Annukka, complements the simplicity of the stories, and is really nice to look at on its own. Appearing very Scandinavian, there are solid backgrounds and only a few choice colors. The images are composed largely of triangles, parallel patterns, and symmetry, and do not overlap with the words. The pages are much taller than they are wide. As I read an e-galley, I cannot comment further on physical attributes of these books, but can say that if you like Hans Christian Andersen, you will enjoy these. They might be best suited for Christmastime, but as winter is finally over, they can be read at any time of the year.