Snow White Stories Around the World: 4 Beloved Tales (Multicultural Fairy Tales) by Jessica S. Gunderson

Snow White Stories Around the World: 4 Beloved Tales (Multicultural Fairy Tales) Reviews

• 
  Rebecca

  Forget seven dwarves - in Albania Snow White is taken in by forty dragons! And no more of that "skin as white as snow," either; in Mozambique she has a shining star on her forehead. This is a lovely way to introduce children to the fact that there is more to fairy tales than Disney lets on, and a princess for all of us, no matter what we look like.
• 
  Andrew

  "Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"
  It has to be the girl who lives with the seven dwarves? (Germany's version, and debatably the most well-known) (Illustrated by Eva Montanari)
  How about the girl who lives with 40 dragons? (Marigo and the 40 Dragons is Albania's version of the story).(Illustrated by Colleen Madden)
  I think its the girl with the star on her forehead? (The Star-Forehead Girl is Mozambican.) (Illustrated by Carolina Farias)
  What about the girl who got turned into birds and roses with needles in her head? (The Magic Needle is (actually almost as Grimm as Germany's but with a very happy ending), Turkey's take on the story, featuring a beautiful Padishah (ruler)'s daughter named Grenatchen, who is saved by 3 hunters. There's also the prince's jealous fiancé', the poisoned needles, and a floating coffin. (Illustrated by Valentina Belloni)
  
  Aside from the Grimm's German version, this was the first time I'd heard or read any of these adaptations. Props to Jessica S. Gunderson for finding these stories, and for sharing an all-women illustrated and diversified cast of characters through differing illustration styles and providing a unique perspective.
  Which would you like to visit?
  
• 
  Carol Dysard

  1. Awards: None
  2. Grade level(s): 2nd – 4th
  3. Original summary: This book includes variations of Snow White from: Albania, Germany, Mozambique and Turkey. Each story unfolds with a mother’s jealousy of her daughter and a plot to kill her, which is never accomplished. With each story comes rare words, cultural differences, and different consequences for the evil mother.
  4. Original review: If you are used to Disney’s PG retelling of fairytales, these versions are sure to shock you. Young readers may be thrilled by the morbid plans that the mothers have for their daughters and fascinated by the cultural differences in each variation. The illustrations are beautiful and adequately vary by culture.
  5. In-class uses:
  • Compare and contrast differences between stories and further research countries depicted.
  • Expand vocabulary by searching for and defining words. Class can be introduced or can review how to search for definitions in a dictionary.
• 
  Alicia

  I was happy to discover several of these "beloved tales/ multicultural fairy tales / stories around the world" and wanted to check one out-- I will definitely be reading the others because it's a thoughtful way to compare/contrast a specific fairy tale from around the world whether it be names used, the core theme and how it was addressed, or the conflict resolution itself.
  
  Using several illustrations in each of the fairytales was a nice touch to break up the text though there was not a lot of text for each of the tales which is why it's nice to read one aloud, read all four, or any variation in between.
• 
  Elizabeth

  Snow White Stories Around the World: 4 Beloved Tales (Multicultural Fairy Tales) by Jessica Gunderson -- This series is on Kindle Unlimited. Gotta love casual violence for the sake of learning a lesson! These are not light and fluffy fairy tales, but it is really cool to see how they compare side by side! Happy Reading!
• 
  Jenny Clark

  Four different snow white tales. The original from Germany, one from Albania, one from Mizambique and finally one from Turkey. Latge text and good illustrations. There are also a few critical thinking questions at the end.
• 
  Charissa Ty

  I love that how pretty and cute the illustrations are, the stories are morbidly entertaining.
• 
  Alison

  Really cool!
• 
  Elizabeth Edwards

  great read, love the illustrations. so fun!! great cover. check it out!!
• 
  Y.Poston

  This version has 4
  variations of "Snow White."
  
• 
  Carole

  4 Snow White stories from around the world.
• 
  Gianna Petrillo

  1. 1st-3rd grade
  2. This book is about four different cultures of the story of snow white. This book is showing the same story but in different ways. The illustrations are detailed and children would really like them.
  3. I thought this book was interesting because of the different versions of the same story we all know. I also really liked the illustrations because they are colorful and detailed. There are also a lot of words in this book so that makes its more challenging for children.
  4. I would use this book when we are talking about traditional stories. I would use this a mentor book during our story time unit and have them use it as a resource.
• 
  Amanda Schwind

  Excellent for demonstrating how different cultures affect their storytelling.
  Could be used for comparing and contrasting different versions of the same story.
• 
  Emma Hughes

  1. No Awards
  2. 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders
  3. Snow White's step-mother had a magic mirror that would tell her who was the "fairest of them all." One day instead of saying her she said Snow White, so the step-mother tried to kill Snow White in multiple ways. Each time the seven dwarfs that Snow White lived with after her step-mother kicking her out saved her, except the last time in which the prince did.
  4. Although this is a traditional story, I thought it was very extreme for an elementary class. I liked how this book does contain other Snow White stories from around the world. I also liked the illustrations in this book.
  5. -Compare the different stories of Snow White from around the world
  -Have the students bring in traditional stories from their culture to share with the class
  
  
• 
  Kaitlyn

  1) No awards
  2) ages 5-7
  3) Snow Whites stories around the world is about how jealously and envy can cause others to harm innocent individuals. The queen is angry that her mirror reveals that Snow White is the fairest of them all. The queen attempts to kill Snow White several times, so that she is the fairest of them all. Similar tales are told around the world, but with different characters and roles.
  4) I thought this was a great book because it not only told the traditional tail of snow white that all children are familiar with, but also added other traditional tales that are popular in other parts of the world, such as Albania and Mozambique. It is a great theme to incorporate to the class, that it is not good to be envious or jealous of anyone. It is also a good book for students to learn about other cultures and parts of the world.
  5) This book can be useful to explain to children how important it is to be nice and generous to everyone. Children can draw pictures of themselves doing a kind act for others.
• 
  Kevin Denizard

  1) no awards
  2) pre-k to 3rd grade
  3) This book follows the story of our well known beloved princess Snow White. Although there's a twist, the book follows 4 shows whites from Germany, Albanian, Turkey, and Mozambican.
  
  4) I love the noticeable differences between the 4 stories artwork. It's a great way to show the differences between the 4 cultures.
  
  5) teach the children what a fairy tale is, teach the children about how cultures can be different but still share similarities.
• 
  Lori

  1)“Do you think there are fairy tales in other countries around the world? Do you think they are the same as the ones we know? Let me read what this author, Jessica Gunderson says. [Read pg. 2, What is a Fairy Tale?] This book takes one fairy tale-Snow White, and shows us four versions or adaptions from Germany, Albania, Mozambique, and Turkey. Let’s find those countries on our map. After we read the story we’ll talk about what’s different and what’s the same, comparing the Snow White we know to the other country’s stories.”
  
  2)Prompt predictions based on the title.
  Lay the groundwork for children’s understanding of diverse settings and people.
  Read some of the text to engage attention.
  Prompt the listeners to notice details.
  
  3)“Snow White, Stories Around the World” opens the students’ eyes to other people and nations who also enjoy the fairy tale genre, but view things differently than we do. The story from different cultures can provide opportunities to discuss and study the cultures addressed in the four sections, helping promote understanding and acceptance of others in the world we live.
  
• 
  Lauren Tortorelli

  Fairy tale moms are mean! I liked this book in this series because it expanded on even the typical snow white story that everyone knows. The other three versions are all close, but they have their own unique twists in them that really showcase how stories adapted to different cultures. This is probably the one I would use with a group of older (3rd-4th grade) students to either begin a unit on folklore or fairy tales or even a unit on studying culture. Great read aloud.
• 
  Meg McGregor

  I enjoyed the three tales in this book that related four different stories using the Snow White theme. I would have given it more stars but the illustrations were not as good as the tales themselves!
  
  My favorite story was the one with the girl with the moon and her forehead. Quite an interesting version of the tale!
• 
  Sarah

  
  http://librarianosnark.blogspot.com/2...
• 
  Chris

  Good stories. Very short retelling. Very little description.
• 
  Sarah Carissa

  My daughter love the different versions