Each day Snow White’s stepmother looks into a magic mirror to make sure she is the prettiest woman in all the land. But one day when the mirror says Snow White is prettier than her, she becomes so angry that she orders a hunter to kill the girl. The hunter takes pity on her, however, and lets her escape. Snow White wanders around until she arrives at the house of the Seven Dwarfs. When her stepmother finds out she’s still alive, she is determined to kill Snow White herself and succeeds by giving her a poisoned apple. The Seven Dwarfs cannot save Snow White and lay her in a glass coffin . . . until a prince rides by.
Kirkus Reviews called this collaboration between Randall and Nancy Eckholm Burkert "a sort of legend even before its time of publication." Jarrell also wrote The Bat-Poet and The Animal Family, a Newbery Honor Book. Jarrell retained the Grimm (and grim) ending to the tale, as the stepmother is forced to dance to her death. Burkert's illustrations are magical, light-filled creations that more than earn the book its Caldecott Honor Book status. This delightful book's extra-large format showcases the fabulously detailed illustrations, alternating two facing pages of art with two pages of straight text. This is an unforgettable interpretation of a well-loved story. (Ages 6 to 9)