Open the covers of this pop-up book retold and illustrated by Yevgeniya Yeretskaya and step into a world of exquisite beauty. The classic Snow Queen story comes magically to life and draws you within to journey with little Gerda to find her dearest friend Kai in the Snow Queen's icy realm. The pop-ups are a mix of both intricate engineering and simple, but it's the lovely use of color that truly brings life to the pages. One small thing that detracts from the beauty of this book is that the reverse of the pop-ups are not illustrated, which does affect the overall enjoyment of the book just a bit. My favorite pop-up is the gorgeous spread of the Snow Queen carrying Kai away in her horse drawn sleigh, while doves and snowflakes whirl about. ( )