Book Review and Writing Lessons: Snow and Rose by Emily Winfield Martin

Snow and Rose didn’t know they were in a fairy tale. People never do. . . .

Once, they lived in a big house with spectacular gardens and an army of servants.

Once, they had a father and mother who loved them more than the sun and moon.

But that was before their father disappeared into the woods and their mother disappeared into sorrow.

This is the story of two sisters and the enchanted woods that have been waiting for them to break a set of terrible spells.

Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy
Publisher: Yearling; Illustrated edition (October 1, 2019)
Page Count: 224 pages

When I saw this book on Christine Smith‘s blog I knew I had to check it out. A fairytale retelling of a more obscure tale with beautiful watercolor illustrations? I’m in.

The Plot

Like many Middle-Grade books, this story has a gentle thought. The girls want to find their father, but there’s a meandering way with lots of adventures and things come out right in the end. I was surprised that this story had a hidden villain and even a plot twist at the end. This is a great story, especially for younger readers. I could see myself reading this to my younger cousins.

The Characters

I found myself relating to Red the most. I feel like I would have handled the situation like her were in her situation. Though I love her contrast with Snow’s more fiery and impulsive personality. Snow and Red’s mom, Ivo, the Librarian, and the gnome were all very interesting characters as well.

The Setting

The story mostly takes place in the woods that Snow and Rose have moved to. I loved seeing the illustrations and reading the descriptions of the forest changing with the seasons.

The Epic Things

I love that the cat’s name is Earl Grey. I love all the mushrooms and talking trees too. <3 I also love the visual of the girls riding on a bear.

The Librarian: What is a library made of?
Snow: A whole lot of books
The Librarian: Wrong. A whole lot of stories

The Theme

The story deals with grief, but also determination and kindness.

The Content

I’d rate this book at PG. There’s some mild violence with a bear caught in a trap and some robbers threaten the girls, but nothing concerning at all.

The Writing Lessons

Losing a Loved One Can Often Mean Losing More than Just the Loved One – To make the grief hit even harder, Snow and Rose lost their home along with their father. Without his income, they could no longer live there, which caused even more heartache.

How this applies to writing: A death in the family can often mean a financial blow. This may sound very material, but this can cause a big change in one’s life. In Sense and Sensibility, the Dashwood sisters have to leave their home and in the Breadwinner, Parvana loses the adult male member of her household which takes away the family’s ability to even buy food.

The Conclusion

This is such a sweet book. I highly recommend it!

Emily Winfield Martin is a collector and lover of fairy tales, and the original Grimm’s tale of Snow White and Rose Red enchanted and haunted her all her life. She is a painter of real and imaginary things, and the author and illustrator of such books as Dream Animals and The Wonderful Things You Will Be. Emily lives among the giant trees of Portland, Oregon, and if you need her, you might look in the heart of the woods. Visit her online at emilywinfieldmartin.com.