Snow & Rose is a quiet book about sisters who live in the woods after mysterious circumstances carries them away from their previous lives. The story follows the sisters as they explore the woods, make friends, and get out of trouble by using their wits and fierce determination.

The beautiful illustrations remind me the old fairy tale tomes I’d look through for hours as a child. My 10 yo adored this book and has asked a few times for new Emily Winfield Martin books. We’ll be on the lookout!

Lovely story! Being an adult, I very much enjoyed reading this fairy tale, full of light and darkness, nature, its wonders and dangers, magic, friendship, family and little big adventures.
Some motives were of bigger interest to me (like the library of stories or the magical mushrooms), some of lesser. There is a certain amount of scare factor (so I would not go for very young kids, my age of choice would be 8-10 and the child better not be a worrier), but also a lot of interesting and visdually well-portrayed nature scenes and family and friendship - and a happyend!
I would love to see this world being transformed into an YA novel - maybe when the sister heroines Rose and Snow grow a bit?

I really enjoyed reading Martin’s take on this fairy tale! It was so beautifully illustrated it was hard to put it down.

A beautifully told fairy tale of well loved sisters Snow and Rose. I love how the enchantment is blended into the story alongside notable, quirky characters.

Sweet, well-imagined fairy tale retelling. The illustrations enhance the story in the best possible way and add to the charm. Will definitely be purchasing this one!

Snow & Rose by Emily Winfield Martin is a middle grade reimagining of the Snow White and Rose Red fairy tale as told by The Brothers Grimm. It is littered with beautiful illustrations and colorful characters that fit seamlessly into the story and enhance the tale Winfield is attempting to tell.

From Ivo and his mushroom farming parents living in their underground hovel to the creepy-sometimes-mean-sometimes nice elf Snow and Rose encounter on their adventures, Winfield does a wonderful job describing the people and things of the forest in words and images. Many readers may fall in love with the Librarian, a strange woman Snow and Rose discover one day while exploring. Her library was not a library of books, but of things. Upon encountering the Librarian for the first time, readers may be hopeful her unusual library would be a key to solving the mysteries of the forest and the disappearance of Snow and Rose’s father. Full of wisdom, the Librarian does provide Snow and Rose with objects that help them on their adventures, but the Librarian unfortunately does not stick around for long. Like most things Snow and Rose encounter in the forest, the Librarian’s appearance is fleeting.

While the world and the characters that inhabit it is beautifully imagined and drawn out in great detail in the illustrations, the actual plot of Snow & Rose is lacking. A lot happens to Snow and Rose, but the danger is quickly resolved. The danger and fear never seems real or perceptible. Snow & Rose is intended for middle grade readers so perhaps adult readers may expect too much from the actual story and as a result it may truly never deliver. It is possible that younger readers may feel more pull in the story than adult readers. The story may also be better served being read aloud to young readers than read silently as much more feeling and emotion can be conveyed vocally.

In the end, Snow & Rose may not stand up for adult readers. The beautifully rendered world with vibrant, loveable characters portrayed through amazing illustrations isn’t enough to rescue the slow, unexciting pacing of the plot which doesn’t seem to add much to the pantheon of the Snow White and Rose Red fairy tale. Overall, Snow & Rose is a disappointing read with beautiful pictures.

I've read a pretty good list of fairy tale retellings but this is my first version of Snow White and Rose Red. I can't say as I'm familiar with the original so I can't really evaluate it as a retelling. As a story, its a decent read. The tone is somewhat old-fashioned. It reads like a fairy tale. Characterization is not particularly deep but still pleasant.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

This is a beautifully rendered and illustrated work of art, both in words and pictures. This somewhat lesser-known folktale is lyrically retold and makes the reader want to savor each sentence, paragraph, and chapter.

I love how the author manage to stay true to the original story in terms of plot and characters, but she also manage to give an emotional depth through the interaction between Snow and Rose. She also bring a new cast of characters and she managed to make the new characters as if they belong to the story all along.

My only complaint is that some of the other new subplot the author created seems unresolved at the end. The whole “what the trees saw” and “the young one and the old one” is definitely intriguing to read and add more fairytale quality to the story, however, I don’t understand what (or who) are they, and how do they connect to the main story in the end. This book is targeted towards younger audience, and these whimsical stuff definitely adds more to the magical atmosphere, but as an older reader, there are too many plot holes left open at the end.

Overall, despite the shortcomings, Snow and Rose brought a lot of nostalgic feelings for me. It is a delight to re-explore the story in a new way, it feels familiar yet also new with all the new characters and subplots the author added to the book.

This was a really nice adaptation of the fairy tale of Snow and Rose. It was one I was vaguely familiar with. I have a hard time getting my students to read fairy tales and adaptations lately but maybe some fresh books like this will breathe life back into that area of the collection.

I was sucked in by the adorable cover, but it felt like literally nothing happened.

I thought the illustrations in this book were just lovely. I like and have purchased many others titles of Emily Winfield Martin. The story I felt was lacking in some ways, the characters didn't have much development, things just kind of happened to them. It was much similar in that way to classic fairy tales. I did like their stories and the characters. I felt the beginning was a little slow, and the end a bit rushed. But I think this is one many middle grade girls will like.

An enchanting retelling of Snow White and Rose Red, complete with beautiful illustrations.

Snow and Rose and devastated when their father goes missing in the woods. Heart-broken and filled with grief, they and their mother must leave their wonderful house and its gardens and servants and live in a tiny cottage in the woods. There, they find unexpected adventures...and danger.

I enjoy stories that alter fairy tales and myths. This one was an enjoyable read and suggest it for middle graders looking for alternate stories.

Emily Winfield Martin’s Snow & Rose is an enchanting MG fairy tale

SNOW & ROSE, by Emily Winfield Martin, Random House Books for Young Readers, Oct. 10, 2017, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 8-12)

I love classic fairy tales, especially obscure ones. Add in some beautiful illustrations, and I’m hooked. So it should come as no surprise that I immediately fell in love with Snow & Rose, by Emily Winfield Martin.

Inspired by the tale Snow White and Rose Red, Snow & Rose tells the story of two sisters who find themselves uprooted from the home they’ve always known and missing a father who disappeared without a trace.

When Snow and Rose last saw their father, he was headed out into the woods. Now, the sisters and their mother live in a small cottage in those very same woods. While their mother moves through life as though moving through quicksand, the girls take it upon themselves to explore.

As the girls wander, they realize the woods are not so lonely as they once thought. New friends are made and magic discovered. But not all is happy in the woods. There’s a dark force just waiting to take advantage of two young girls. It will take all of Snow and Rose’s might and the help of some unexpected creatures to expel the darkness forever.

Snow & Rose is just the sort of fairy tale I would have devoured as an 8-year-old, and I can’t wait to share it with my daughter when she’s old enough.

There’s an innocence to Emily Winnfield Martin’s writing that pairs perfectly with the subject matter. She perfectly balances the sad and scary with the wonder and excitement young people often feel. Her characters are well developed with strong emotions and compelling storylines.

Emily’s strong writing is paired with enchanting illustrations. Snow & Rose was conceived as a picture book and then grew into a full-length novel. While the illustrations aren’t necessary to the story itself — it stands well on its own — they do add a charm that takes the book over the top. I love the whimsical nature of Emily’s illustrations and know younger readers will enjoy them, too

Snow & Rose is by far one of my favorite fairy-tale retellings.

I thought this was a cute little Fairy tale, I enjoyed it because I never read the original fairytale, so it was new to me. I really loved the characters of Rose and Snow, along with their friendship with Ivo. The reason for only three stars is that I figured out things so quickly, but I really did enjoy it, and I loved the ending. Also reading this one makes me want to read the original fairytale.

I am a huge fan of Emily Winfield Martin, and this fairy-tale adaption of "Snow White and Red Rose" did not disappoint!

Snow, Rose, and their mother are forced to leave their wealthy estate and move into a remote cabin in the woods after their father disappears in the woods, never to return home. In the woods, they befriend a boy, Ivo, who grows mushrooms, a mysterious library filled with objects not book, help save a cranky Little Man multiple times, and bond with a giant bear that is wanted by the Hunstmen. Martin's charming illustrations and lyrical story work together to create a gentle and moving story that is perfect for fairy-tale lovers.

A great and important work that should be required reading from coast to coast.

Snow and Rose are two pampered sisters who lived with their parents in a large house. Then one day their beloved father disappears in the woods. The sisters and their mother are forced out of the house and deep into the woods to live in an abandoned cottage. They are mourning the loss of their father and the loss of their happy life. The woods are not a place many people go and if they do they never venture from the path. Snow and Rose soon learn not to be completely afraid of the woods and they explore their new home. They do run across dangers like bandits and wolves, but they also meet a new friend in Ivo, whose family has a mushroom farm deep in the woods, and the librarian, who checks out stories in the shape of objects instead of books. They also meet a tiny man several times. Each time the man is in peril and Snow and Rose rescue him. He is never grateful for their help and is especially vengeful when they cut his beard to save him. They also rescue a giant bear and let him stay in the cottage throughout the winter. But there are dangers in the woods and people do disappear. When Ivo disappears, Snow and Rose are determined to find out what happened to him and the others lost in the woods.

This is a beautiful retelling of the Snow White Rose Red story. It sticks fairly close to the original tale, but does have its variations. The book is fantastically illustrated and visually beautiful. I enjoyed the story of Snow and Rose and how they reacted differently to their situation. I did think the ending was a bit rushed as everything wrapped up pretty quickly as soon as the girls figured out who was causing people to disappear and why.

I received this book from Netgalley.