Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Translated and Illustrated by Wanda Gag
Wanda Hazel Gág (March 11 1893–June 27 1946) was an American author and illustrator. She was born on March 11 1893 in New Ulm, Minnesota. Her mother (Elisabeth Biebl) and father (Anton) were of Bohemian descent. Both parents were artists who had met in Germany. In 1917 she illustrated A Child’s Book of Folk-Lore, following which she worked on many different projects, and became a well-known artist/author. Her art exhibition in the New York Public Library in 1923 was the true beginning of her fame. She was especially esteemed for her lithographs, though today if her name is known at all it is usually from her children's books, specifically the classic Millions of Cats. Gág received the Newbery Honor Award for this book, and the combined effects of it and her exhibition had given her the funds she needed to carry on her work without stress. She died in New York City on June 27 1946.Book Summary
Another fun twist to the tale we all know. Snow White runs away to escape the evil queens jealousy. Only to be found again later by the queen. In the end the Prince saves Snow White!
More about the Author/Illustrator
This section was taken straight from the following web site. I pulled my favorite parts, if you want to know more check it out.
She was eventually noticed by Ernestine Evans, the new children’s book editor at Coward-McCann. Evans asked Gág if she ever thought about writing a children’s book. She pulled one of the manuscripts from the ‘rejection box’ and the resulting book was Millions of Cats published in 1928. It was very different from the books that children were used to and was named a Newbery Honor Book for that year. Gág is credited with being the first artist to utilize the double-page spread and to revive hand lettered text. (Walter Crane had hand lettered his texts forty years earlier but this practice was never followed, therefore Gág’s books seemed innovative at the time.) Her brother Howard was contracted for the text, at her suggestion.
Drawing and painting was put on hold for a while because of the depression. Children’s books gave her a good income during this hard time that she could not afford to give up. An illustration commissioned by the New York Herald-Tribune re-ignited her passion for folktales. She started working on a series of translations of the work of the Grimm Brothers, the first of which was published in 1936. Since she found that translating was less strenuous than writing, she continued this trend with three more books of their folktales.
The advent of World War II cut back on large printings and reprints of her books. Humphreys and Howard both took jobs with the defense industry and Gág continued to grow vegetables in her garden to supplement the ration coupons.
Two of her books, Millions of Cats in 1929, and The ABC Bunny in 1934, were Newbery Honor Books. Two more books, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1939, and Nothing at All in 1942, were Caldecott Honor Books. She also received the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award posthumously for Millions of Cats. At the age of 53, it can be said that she fulfilled her father’s wish for her to become a celebrated artist, not only in the fine arts but in children’s literature as well.
Illustrations: I loved these illustrations. They are the ideal image for me of a snow white fairy tale. The illustrations were present on each page but did not take over the page. They were snapshots into parts of the story. The lines were soft and curved. Illustrations were placed throughout the story. They could be as simple as a single small object or as detailed as an entire setting with characters. They were softly inserted in the story, no hard corners here! Perfect for a children’s book! Read a little, look a little, read a bit more, then see a beautiful, simple picture. The overall feel of the art work was one of magical imagination. Sort of suggesting, come and play! I just loved it! I would love to have a copy of this book for myself.
Art Medium: black and white line drawings
Influences, Style and Technique Gág was equally at home in the worlds of fine art and children’s books. Her training as a printmaker in school influenced her work just as much as her European roots influenced her subject matter.
Her first three books, Millions of Cats, The Funny Thing, and Snippy and Snappy, were all done in pen-and-ink and in a similar format. The ABC Bunny was done in lithographs and admired by critics for being ‘real art’. Her distinct black and white style had a folk quality and was very different from the full color tipped in plates of classic children’s literature.
For some of her fine art work, Gág drew or painted directly onto sandpaper, a technique that she developed herself to achieve a unique texture. When she didn’t have the funds to buy lithography equipment, she drew with lithograph crayon on the sandpaper instead of stone or a metal plate. She also painted watercolors on sandpaper.
Gág admired the work of Jessie Willcox Smith, whose work she came across in her childhood books. During her student days in New York, she spent her free time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There she enjoyed the paintings of Delacroix and Cézanne the most.
1. Would this be a book I would pick up again? Yup, it is darling!
2. Would I recommend it to others to search out and take a look at? Yes
3. Would I spend my hard earned money on the book? Yes I would, it would be a great addition to a fairy tale collection!
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