****Summary of this book:
Princess Snow White lived in a kingdom. Her hair was the deepest ebony and her skin was the purest ivory. Snow White's dad, the King, died so she lived with her stepmother, the queen. The queen had a magic mirror and when she asked it "who was the fairest of them all", the mirror replied Snow White. Snow White's stepmother was jealous of Snow White's beauty. This brought out the evil in her. The evil queen ordered the huntsman to kill Snow White and bring back her heart as proof.
Huntsman and Snow White both went out into the forest. The Huntsman broke down and told the truth to Snow White. He could not bring himself to kill the precious, innocent Snow White. Snow White ran into the forest in order to save her life. The huntsman covered for Snow by bringing back the queen the heart of an animal.
Snow White ran and ran until she passed out in the middle of the forest. When she woke up, Snow White was surrounded by friendly forest animals. The animals brought Snow White into a small cottage and she fell asleep.
The cottage belonged to seven dwarfs named; Doc, Happy, Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy, Bashful, and Sleepy. As Snow White slept, the dwarfs came back home from work. The dwarfs realized someone had been in their house and they searched until they discovered Snow White sleeping soundly.
When Snow White woke up, she explained who she was and why she ran away. Snow White warned the dwarfs about the evil queen who wanted her dead.
Back at the castle, the Evil Queen asked her mirror once more who was the fairest of them all. The mirror replied Snow White. The Evil Queen realized she had been tricked. She headed out to the forest to find Snow White to kill her, herself. The Evil Queen used magic to turn herself into an old lady in order to disguise herself. She also brought a poisoned apple (filled with a sleeping curse) for Snow White to eat.
In the forest, Snow White ran into the old lady (who was really the Evil Queen). Snow White bit the apple. Snow White dropped into a very deep sleep. This made all of the dwarfs upset, they all thought she died. Snow White was no longer alive, but not exactly dead.
They all said their farewells including the prince, who kissed her. His kiss woke her up from the deep sleep due to "true love's kiss".

****Disney (this book) compared to Grimm's (Original):
When Disney put their "Disney Ears" on Princess Snow White, there was a lot they took out and added to the story they borrowed the original fairy tale by Grimms.
These are the some of the finer details that differ between the two.

Grimm explains what happened to Snow White's mother (she died in childbirth). It also explains how Snow got her name (When Snow's mom pricked her finger and the blood fell onto the snow she said, "Oh, that I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of the embroidery frame"). Grimm's tale told the part where the Huntsman gave the Evil Queen the heart of a wild boar and she ate it thinking it was Snow White's heart, while Disney did not. Disney's tale added the friendly forest creatures that helped Snow find the dwarf's cottage; Grimms' version did not include any friendly forest creatures. Grimms' version of the dwarfs only agreed to let Snow hide away if she were to keep the house clean and pick up after them; Disney's version of the dwarfs welcomed Snow with open arms and love.

One major thing that was different is how The Evil Queen tried to kill Snow White. Grimms' tale including the Evil Queen tricking Snow White three times trying to kill her. The first was the evil queen tried to sell Snow fine wares. Snow tried on the lace and the evil queen laced it so quickly & tightly that it took Snow's breath away. The second time was the queen gave Snow a poisoned comb. The third time the evil queen gave Snow White a poisoned apple to eat. Disney's tale only included the poisoned apple.
Even the ended of the queen differ between the two. Disney's tale had the queen falling off the edge of a mountain to her death. Grimms' tale had the queen was forced to wear red-hot iron shoes, at Snow's wedding, until she fell down dead. ( )

I think the Disney version is very overdone; however I think if a greater version was used in a classroom, it would be very suitable for a 6th grade class. I think it appeals to both genders due to the thematic suggestions in the original. This would be a great oppurtunity to discuss with your students the topic of successful adaptations or watered down versions. ( )

Snow Whites father dies and she moves into a castle with her stepmother who is also a queen. The queen was very jealous of Snow Whites Beauty. The queen turns Snow White into a maid and dresses her in ratty clothes. Snow White soon learns the queen wants her dead so she finds comfort in befriending animals from the forest. They bring her to a safe place to live where she rooms with 7 little dwarfs. The queen continues to try to kill Snow White and eventually her prince finds her and breaks an evil spell the queen cast and they live happily ever after. ( )

Classic fairytale by Walt Disney that tells an enchanted story about a princess that discovers a friendship with the seven dwarfs while they are hiding her from the witch.

Sweet classic easily retold. Statesboro Regional Library: E S