Snow White: An Islamic Tale

by Fawzia Gilani, Shireen Adams (Illustrator)

Overview

Involving the power of a djinn, poisoned dates, seven dwarf sisters-in-faith, and a mysterious old peddler woman in the woods wearing a face veil, this lyrically told story offers a unique twist on this fairy tale, whilst keeping the classic much-loved story intact, including a hateful and vain stepmother, a considerate huntsman, and a charming prince.

Set in the heady snow-strewn woodlands of Anatolia by the illustrator Shireen Adams, this tale of flight, friendship, and forgiveness is richly detailed and beautifully brought to life.

Snow White is the second book in the Islamic Fairy Tales series, which looks to offer meaningful and faithful variants of these popular worldwide stories.

Fawzia Gilani has worked as a teacher, librarian, and school principal in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada since 1993. She is the author of thirty children's books, mostly on the topic of Eid.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780860376873
Publisher:	The Islamic Foundation
Publication date:	12/11/2016
Series:	Islamic Fairy Tales
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Lexile:	AD780L (what's this?)
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Fawzia Gilani: Fawzia has worked as a teacher, librarian and school principal in the UK, USA and Canada since 1993. She is the author of thirty children's books, mostly on the topic of Eid. Currently studying children's Islamic Literature at University, she also works as an educational consultant. Although based in the UK, she spends her time living between Ohio and England with her husband and daughter.

Editorial Reviews

"In this version, the heroine is pious as well as pretty." — Kirkus review
"The full-color watercolors, with some Anatolian details in clothing and household goods, are attractive…" — Kirkus review

"In this version, the heroine is pious as well as pretty." — Kirkus review
"The full-color watercolors, with some Anatolian details in clothing and household goods, are attractive…" — Kirkus review

From the Publisher

09/01/2013
K-Gr 3—Blending bits of the Qur'an into the classic folktale, this Islamic version nicely maintains the structure and essential elements of the well-known story. A good child, born to loving parents, Snow White "learnt about Islam, science, language, and played sports." When her mother died, she "took great comfort in the words of the Qur'an and her prayers." The wicked stepmother, true to form, is beautiful and jealous, and dabbles in magic. She owns a jinn who delivers those words about who is the fairest of them all, and she remembers "the words of an evil magician…that the secret to lasting youth was to eat the heart and liver of a young and beautiful girl." The scheme of good and evil plays out in the familiar pattern, focusing on strong women. The "seven dwarf sisters-in-faith" represent "kindness, wisdom, courage, forgiveness, honesty, generosity and patience." There is a handsome prince, of course, but it's his wise mother and a female doctor who rouse Snow White from her poisonous sleep. Patently didactic, the story is robust and moves along smoothly, noting prayerful moments throughout with Arabic terms translated in a glossary. Simply drawn and warmly colored full-page scenes aptly convey the ugly strength of the stepmother and the multifaceted life Snow White enjoys with the dwarves. Evil becomes its own enemy as the stepmother vainly applies the poisoned comb to her own head, but she gets to repent, because, in the end, the story is about forgiveness. This book is respectful of an audience not often represented in children's books, and its clever take on an old favorite is likely to have broad appeal.—Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

School Library Journal

In this version, the heroine is pious as well as pretty. Here the setting is Anatolia (in Turkey), which looks similar to a European landscape. Snow White is not a princess, but she still has a jealous stepmother who sends a huntsman to kill her. Seven female dwarfs, all kind and religious, find the girl on their doorstep after the huntsman refuses to do the evil deed. It may sound more or less like the usual story, but the poisoned apple becomes poisoned dates, the fruit that traditionally breaks the Ramadan fast. The poisoned fruit is not dislodged from the girl's throat when servants stumble, carrying her glass coffin to the prince's palace (as in Grimm). Nor does the prince kiss Snow White (as in Disney). Here, the prince's mother and a doctor awaken her with medicine and prayer. The gruesome Grimm ending changes, as it does in many children's versions, though with a twist: Snow White grants mercy to her evil stepmother and recites a verse from the Quran. Such verses are quoted throughout the text, with references provided. The full-color watercolors, with some Anatolian details in clothing and household goods, are attractive, but the faces are sometimes awkward. Snow White (not quite beautiful) and the stepmother don't always look the same on different pages. Created for religious Muslim children, this may be of interest to institutions or families seeking such materials. (glossary) (Picture book/fairy tale. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews