In the trap of folklore
I admit that after reading The House on Hen’s Paws , I was looking forward to another Sophie Anderson’s offer, so when last year Wydawnictwo Kobiece decided to publish another British novel – Fairy Tales of the Snow Forest – I was very happy. Already at the very beginning of reading, we notice that the fairy tale told is strongly inspired by Russian folklore, which translates into the originality of the story. The girl we meet in the Fairy Tales of the Snow Forest discovers her superhuman strength, while learning the truth about herself. And we are with her.
A fairy tale!
Janka is an exceptional child that Mamoczka found naked near the bear’s cave. It has grown up remarkably over the years. Currently, she is taller and stronger than her peers and even some adults, which explains her nickname – Janka Niedźwiedzica. To the girl’s surprise, one day her legs change beyond recognition – instead of human feet, she now has bear paws! Janka must quickly explain what happened, and to this end, she tries to discover the secret of her origin. He decides to go to the Snow Forest to find out the truth. The fairy tales will allow us to get an answer to the question of whether Janka will manage to find out who put the bear curse on her and return to the human world.
Subjectively
I am not convinced if the change of the title – from the English The Girl Who Speaks Bear to the Polish Fairy Tales of the Snow Forest – is right, because it is one coherent story about Janka. Nevertheless, judge for yourself. Big congratulations to Urszula Gireń, who contributed to the preparation of the project, cover illustrations and chapter pages. The translation by Przemysław Hejmej is also fine. In the Fairy Tales of the Snow ForestI like the references to Russian folklore the most, which gives the novel its character – it may be too harsh, but also very atmospheric. Anderson charms us and connects us to his world, and the aura of magic accompanies us all the time while reading. The timeless story made me read the book in one night. And you probably won’t be able to break away either.
Beauty is indeed
The fairy tales of the Snow Forest are a beautiful proposition. Attention is drawn not only to the fairy-tale cover with sparkling jets, reminiscent of a fantastic winter time, recalled, among others, by in The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, but also a wonderful end paper showing a bear in the forest. The paper is not snow-white, which complements the aesthetics of the edition. The Fairy Tales of the Snow Forest is a story closed in 35 chapters and an epilogue. Anderson provides Janka’s Glossary for the more inquisitive – I recommend it! In addition, at the beginning of the book there are reviews of other authors of children’s novels: Hilary McKay ( War of the Larks ), Catherine Doyle ( Stormguard Island ), Cerrie Burnell ( Hania and the Scarlet Umbrella )) and Kiran Millwood Hargrave ( The Girl of Ink and the Stars ). All in all, visually, this is one of the most beautiful books I have, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys learning about extraordinary, fairy-tale and unforgettable stories.
