Age range 14+In this dark adaptation of Snow White, acclaimed artist Beatrice Alemagna tells the story from the point ofviewof the jealous stepmother queen, to complicate the questionof goodness and set into high relief the shadow side, with itscapacityfor evil,of human life.Once upon a time, a child was born with skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony: the princess Snow White. She ispossessed of beauty and innocence, but there in the shadows lurks a queen who will remarry her widower father, a queenwho is as empty andenvious, asnarcissistic and fractured as isevery life that gets stuck intheendless reflecting pool or mirror of the self. Void of love, it is hatred that animates her. But like all true fairy tales, this story doesn't ask us to judge and condemn the queen and herhatred, but rather to consider the kinds ofbehaviours and situations that invite evil, and where true innocence or goodness might lie. Following the first-person account of the queen, this picture book for older readersilluminates her blinding obsession and insatiable jealousy, right up to the point of her violent undoing.Told through a series of riveting, unsettling images as well as a bold adaptation of the Grimm's original text, this version of Snow White brilliantly puts us all in touch with the messy, shadowed, fraught, and fragile inwardness we each possess.This is the second book to appear under Unruly, an imprint of picture books for older readers, and will include an author's note and a short note to readers about how it continues to build this experimental framework of visually complex, sophisticated picture books for teens and adults.

 

 

This book is aimed at children at US 9th grade+.

This book has been graded for interest at 13-17 years.

There are 96 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2022 by Enchanted Lion Books .

Beatrice Alemagna is an author and illustrator living in France. Her books include A Lion in Paris and What is a Child? The Little Big Thing is Beatrice's fourth book with Tate.