The White Snake: A TOON Graphic

by Ben Nadler

Young Randall dreams of adventures until one day he’s sent off on a mission to discover the neighboring king’s secret. When he returns, he’s thrown in a dungeon and despairs until Princess Tilda — the power behind the throne – entices him to compete for her hand. Courage, determination — and Tilda’s trust in him – toss him from one adventure to the next as he dives for a ring at the bottom of the ocean and searches for a Golden Apple from the Tree of Life. BEN NADLER’s modern version in comics highlights the timeless truth at the heart of this Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale in a way that is sure to delight and resonate with today’s young readers.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Childrens, Adventure, Animals, Fairy Tales, Retellings

64 pages, Hardcover

First published June 17, 2019

Reviews

[Tabor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The White Snake is a re-telling of a classic Grim Brothers tale. It follows Randall, a servant boy, who is tasked to discover the King of Borisylvania's secret by a rival ruler. Randall sets out across the land and seeks employment in the royal house, where he discovers that each night the King eats a white snake. Tempted by the dish, Randall eats the snake and suddenly finds himself able to talk to animals. As he travels back to his home, Randall helps various animals and in the end, these good deeds help him win the favor of Princess Tilda and the King's approval.

This is a short graphic novel perfect for a younger audience. I would recommend it to anyone, who loves fairytales, fables, or mythology as it has a straightforward storyline with an obvious moral. Overall, I really liked the artwork and enjoyed the changes Nadler made to the story to make it more diverse and progression, especially concerning the female characters. I also really liked that the graphic included a discussion of the original changes and its origin.

[Salamah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A retelling of The Grimm Brother's fairy tale of the white snake. I don't recall reading the story before so this was all new to me. It has all the elements of a proper fairy tale. A king, princess, hero, monsters and magic. The authors put some modern spins on the story though. The princess is a talented, Black female with a strong mind. The prince or hero is portrayed as very kind and had a soft heart who cared about the creatures on the earth. The illustrations were nice and pleasing to the eye. A fun, quick read.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few years ago my son got into the TOON graphic novels and ever since I grab one every now and then. I saw this one was recently published and was drawn in by the fairytale-like cover. I enjoyed the images and storyline that I could tell was updated to a more modern twist on female roles as is seen with the princess. Overall I enjoyed the storyline though I thought a little more could have been fleshed out. Nice, simple fairytale retelling though with enjoyable images.

[Ms.Gaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Grimm Brothers fairy tale, updated and re-envisioned for today's readers. Full color - with a few pop psychedelic images! Back matter includes info about folktales in general, and the differences in this modern retelling, plus a bibliography to add to its authenticity. Great for classroom reading or just for fun. Ages 8-12

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun retelling of a Grimm tale, featuring a kind hearted servant lad who becomes able to talk to animals and a dark skinned princess who values him for who he is, not his class. Heavy duty afterword about adding or altering folktales to fit changing times.

[Faith Tydings · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting version of a few different Grimm folktales with a happy ending, of course. I liked the diversity of the characters and the animal interaction. Combined with the backmatter page that explains the similarities and differences in the original stories, I liked this book.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun graphic novel version of a Grimm’s fairy tale. It’s updated to add more humanity and girl power. I appreciated the extra information in the back explaining the author’s thoughts and process along with explaining the connection to the fairy tale.

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based on the Grimm's fairy tale, the artwork is easy to follow. The story itself is lacking and could be developed a bit more. The servant eats a white snake that gives him powers, The fun twist is that the princess ends up ruling the kingdom.

[K8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Diane Madlon-Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben's gorgeous coloring, playful layouts, and zany sense of humor all strengthen this adaptation of an obscure Grimm's Fairy Tale.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was... weird. Definitely not geared for my sense of humor I think.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A modern update to a Brothers Grimm tales in which a kind servant helps animals during his quest, who then in turn help him win the hand of the princess.

[Paulette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was weird, but cool. The last section explaining the origins of the original tale by the Grimm brothers was more interesting for me.

[Aggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very entertaining yet it got weird too fast. Who the heck eats a snake just because a king does? Blegh!