Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs

Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs
Written by Davide Cali, illustrated by Raphaëlle Barbanègre

My rating: ★★★★

ISBN: 978-1770497634
Publisher: Tundra
Date of publication: April 14, 2015
Age: 3 - 8 years

Themes: chores, hard work, fractured fairy tale, exhaustion

Snow White is on the run from an evil witch when she comes across some dwarfs in the forest—77 of them. They agree to take her in and keep her safe if she will help them with their chores. She soon realizes she's taking on a lot more than she bargained for—the laundry and dishes alone are enough to make anyone crazy. But beard maintenance? Snow White may just decide to take her chances with the witch.

I really enjoyed this book and for several reasons. This is one that both the kid and parent can laugh at—the kids, because it's silly; the parents, because what mother hasn't felt totally exhausted after chores?? Also, the illustrations are FANTASTIC. They're super bright and vivid, but the emotion in Snow White's face is priceless. I mean, just check out this ONE page.

Priceless! I'm telling you, it's that fantastic throughout the whole thing. Overall, it is a well-done book (even if the ending is predictable and falls a little flat). I totally recommend it.

Find it at your library or on Amazon

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to School

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to School
Written by Davide Cali, illustrated by Benjamin Chaud

My rating: ★★★

ISBN: 978-1452131689
Publisher: Chronicle
Date of publication: March 3, 2015
Age: Grades K - 3

Themes: excuses, imagination, tardiness, determination

"First, some giant ants steal breakfast. Then there are the evil ninjas, massive ape, mysterious mole people, giant blob, and countless other daunting (and astonishing) detours along the way to school. Are these excuses really why this student is late? Or is there another explanation that is even more outrageous than the rest?" (from the cover).

Really, it's exactly what you think it is: a kid has quite the story to tell when his teacher asks him why he's late to class. I will say, though, that the author has quite the imagination; the list of excuses is quite extensive. And the ending is a great kicker. The illustrations are rather whimsical, and match the story well. Even the end pages are rather...hairy. I think grade-schoolers will appreciate this more than younger kids; it's a picture book, but the content is for older kids. Try it out.

Find it at your library or on Amazon