| Title | : | The Poisoned Apple: A Fractured Fairy Tale |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1645670600 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781645670605 |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 32 |
| Publication | : | Published October 6, 2020 |
The princess is too sweet, too kind—but the witch knows just how to handle a princess like that. One bite from a painstakingly made poisoned apple should do it! Once the apple is in the hands of the princess, the plan is in motion. But when the kindhearted princess gives the apple away, the witch watches as her plot spirals out of control. Can she get the apple back before it’s too late? Who will end up with a happily ever after?
What goes around comes around in this darkly humorous fairy tale, sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats and howling with laughter.
The Poisoned Apple: A Fractured Fairy Tale Reviews
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4 stars for the ending alone
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Oh boy! I did not peruse this one before sitting down to read it with my four-year-old, and watching his anxiety rise steadily through this suspenseful fractured fairy tale was a real treat. First I had to explain what "poisoned" means (yay for increasing vocabulary!) but he literally protested out loud every time a new woodland creature came into possession of the apple. And the illustration on the last page stunned him speechless for a moment, hahahaha. I would maybe skip this one if you have especially sensitive kiddos, because it is just a little scary. We loved it though and have read it multiple times already!
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A retelling of Snow White from the perspective of the witch that trifles with a theme of kindness and sharing but then gets real stupid with amnesia and karma elements before revealing an ableist slant with its spiteful and dark ending that may be too grim and macabre for some children.
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4 stars because I enjoyed the illustrations, the overall story, the whole vibe of the book. But with the large caveat that the ending might be a bit too dark/gruesome for some kids, and honestly I was disappointed
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If you like darkly humorous twists on fairy tales, then this is your picture book.
The witch has slaved away creating the perfect poisoned apple for a too-sweet princess. But when the princess gives away that perfect poisoned apple to a dwarf... well, the story gets a little tangled up from there.
This is a hilarious story. I loved the text they used for the words "the poisoned apple." It made it spookier and funnier somehow. I can just imagine reading this aloud to some children and doing a creepy voice whenever those words show up in the story. All in all, a fun fairy tale with twists and turns and a witch who just can't seem to have things go her way. -
What if Snow White hadn’t eaten the poisoned apple? What is she gave it away? What would the witch do? Oh how I love a good fractured fairy tale and this one is a delight. With excellent suspense and genius page turns and uniquely beautiful illustrations, this tells a what if version of Snow White that is just tremendous fun.
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Simple, humorous twist on a classic fairytale. The witch gets what is coming for her and everyone else lives happily ever after.
Thanks to the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. -
Loved every minute of this -- what a fun read with a deliciously dark twist!
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Loved the wood-cut looking art, but the story didn't wow me. Looking forward to checking out
Maria the Matador because isn't that a great title?
Library copy -
Took the time today at work to get myself acquainted with the books in the children’s department. Reading children’s books is also a part of my regular yearly challenge to expand reading genre’s that I normally don’t gravitate to naturally.
If you and your kid(s) enjoyed The Paperbag Princess, you’ll have just as much silly fun with this story! -
Wonderful twisted tale full of suspense and surprises.
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Clever, funny, retelling of the Snow White fairytale.
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Loved the ending of this fractured fairy tale. I read it to my storytime
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Loved the illustration style and the fun little twists along the way.
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A great retelling of a classic tale! Builds so well to the ending!
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I really, really, really, really love these illustrations. They're strange and beautiful and so interestingly textured. The story is super dark though! I did not like it at all. I will definitely seek out more illustrations by Anne Lambelet, though not a narrative.
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Mom's Review
Fractured fairytales seem popular at present, and The Poisoned Apple is a solid addition to the genre. Imagine what would happen if Snow White's stepmother gave her the apple, but it got passed along, uneaten, until it made its way back to that evil queen. That's the premise of this picture book. Tense, funny, and satisfying in the end, Lambelet's work has us reading again and again. We laugh at the witch's fingernail biting, hair-pulling anxiety as the she watches the apple get handed off from one hungry character to the next, hungrier one. (T's favorite part is when the witch finally tries to get the apple back by climbing a tree, only to fall out of it, yelling, "💩!" as she goes down.) We coo over the cute animals, noticing new details in the textured drawings. And we cheer the demise of the witch by her own diabolical plan. It's also worth mentioning that the writing flows enchantingly for those reading aloud.
The Poisoned Apple is a captivating fractured fairy tale that is well worth the read.
Son's Review
Age: 5
I like it. It was funny. I thought the witch was super dumb and silly. The witch is dumb-silly.
Her [the witch's] arms are longer than her legs.
I've never noticed her [the witch] back there [behind the tree] either.
She said poop, because she has to poop I think.
Fav animal:
The squirrel, and also the squirrel babies of course. I just think the little guys are cute
What Mommy should be sure to include in the review:
That the squirrels are really cute!
Note: A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review. -
This picture book retells the story of Snow White and the poisoned apple. This version focuses very cleverly on the witch herself. It tells of the hard work she put into creating just one poisoned apple and no more. The witch gets the apple directly into Snow White’s basket, but then her plans go awry as the apple is passed to the dwarves as part of their lunch. Luckily, none of them take a bite, instead sharing the apple with some hungry forest animals, who in turn share it with a squirrel looking for food for her babies. As the squirrel climbs high into the tree, the witch follows, desperate to get the apple back and give it to Snow White. But her plans continue to fail her as the branch snaps from beneath her weight.
Lambelet has very nicely twisted and fractured this retelling of the classic Snow White story. The book will work best for children who know the classic version, as this one quickly moves away from that tale and into a riff of its own. Snow White and the dwarves make appearances, but are not the main focus of the story. The witch herself stays at the center, conniving and evil, making this just right for a witchy Halloween read.
The art is marvelous, full of fine lined details that come together to form dramatic moments that fill the page. From the creation of the poisoned apple itself to the witch’s fall from the tree, these moments are elongated by the art and the format to great effect.
This witch-focused retelling of Snow White is creepy, dark and satisfying. Appropriate for ages 5-7. -
A delicious fractured fairy tale about a poisoned apple that takes a journey through the forest.
I don't want to give it away, but it's a good one. A great tale to share for a not-too-scary Halloween storytime. If you're sharing a fairy tales storytime, I would pair this one with The Goblin and the Empty Chair by Mem Fox.
Reviewed from a library copy. -
Valentine’s Day is the perfect time for a fairytale, even a fractured fairytale.
There once was an evil witch that loathed the sweet and charming princess. So, she decided she would fix her problem with a poisoned apple. With one bite, all her problems would instantly go away. However, the evil witch’s plan quickly gets foiled when the kind princess shares her apple and as the kindness spirals, so does the evil which’s plan.
In a beautiful story of cause and effect and negative actions yield negative results, The Poisoned Apple is a delightfully, fun, cautionary tale that is bound to be a new fairytale favorite. -
Absolutely love this spin on one of my favorite fairy tales, Snow White. The story follows the apple as the kindhearted princess gives it away and the evil witch watches as her happy ending slips from her grasp.
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Woah! This is dark! But AWESOME!
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Warning: there's a death in this book. But it's the death of the "bad guy." So if your little one has an aversion to death, choose another book.
Me? I enjoyed it. -
A mean old witch eats her own poisoned apple.
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For: readers looking for a book with dark humor and textured illustrations.
Possible red flags: death (where one sees the remaining skeleton) and attempted murder; plots and characters in peril. -
Humourous, but dark. For older children, it is a spin-off of Snow White and will have them laughing.
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Ha ha ha ha ha ha! The dark twist of an ending is so perfect!
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Lovely artwork - My daughter and I read this to see if it would be good for her preschool class that she’s teaching
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This would be a fun read aloud with a great surprise ending.
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This book starts off talking about a witch who does not like a princess because she is too sweet. With this, the witch decides that she is going to make a poisoned apple for the princess to eat. The witch worked for months to create the perfect poisoned apple for the princess. After the apple was done the witch gave the apple to the princess. After the apple was given to the princess it goes on a journey going to one of the dwarfs, forest animals (deer and rabbit), and then a mom squirrelly and her babies. The witch did not want the apple to get away so she climb up the tree that the squirrel family lived in to try and get the apple back. After she got up to the branch the branch snapped and the witch fell and hit her head. When she woke up she forgot everything that happened and the squirrel felt bad for the witch so she gave the apple to the witch. The witch ate the apple and then everyone lived happily ever after except for the witch.
I think that this book could work for grades Kindergarten to 2nd grade. I think this grade range would enjoy this book because of the storyline and all the fun pictures in the book. I also think that it would work for this grade range because of the main point of the story, of what goes around comes around. More of if you do something not nice it is going to come back to you. Treat others how you want to be treated. This book is a great way to get this life lesson across to young students.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I loved how the author took a very well-known story and put her own twist on it. I also really liked the pictures throughout the story and how detailed they were.
