Book Review - 'Frindleswylde' by Natalia O'Hara (Writer), Lauren O'Hara (Illustrator)

2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.

Final Score: 3.5/5





Original Review:



'Frindleswylde' is an homage to fairy tales like 'The Snow Queen', that uses familiar Hans Christian Andersen story motifs. It really is like reading a book from when I was very young, at a grandparent's house, in winter, and I could also listen to that book on tape. Yes I'm that old. I'm that old now. Wow.

It took me a while to get into 'Frindleswylde' - and it is wordy for a children's picture book, so some patience is required - but the twists came, the triumphant yet mystical and enigmatic ending satisfied me, and overall I can fully appreciate it in all its icy, snowy, flowery, fluttery beauty.

In its most basic, basic summary (wintery?): It's a young girl and her grandmother vs. a sinister and manipulative male shapeshifting ice bogeyman story. Yay for the feminist layers and subtext there! Lots of snow and ice are involved, as well as ice statues, lamplights and hazelnut shells (yes, in that order; it makes sense in context), flowers, blossoms, clouds, animals, polar bears, snowflakes, fairy tale metaphors, and cosy home and food metaphors. It is a little sad, a little scary, and slowly but surely it warms up and burns and glows towards happily ever after.

It didn't have as big an impact on me as the authors' previous picture book, 'Hortense and the Shadow'. But 'Frindleswylde' is its own fairy tale gem, with or without 'The Snow Queen' influence, which is very loose.

I mean, who remembers or cares that Disney's 'Frozen' is "based" on 'The Snow Queen'? These retellings work great on their own because they are written well, and are creative, meaningful and engaging as their own unique, snow globe entity. The structure, writing and execution of an old story can be original - with its individual spin on established things - and wonderful, when made out of passion and care.

So 'Frindleswylde' - a colourful, lovely, sad, tender, slightly sombre, if a teeny bit clunky, picture book to read in the winter.

It has storks in it, too. Storks that can carry girls and grannies through snowstorms.

Also the 'eerie song of mermaids'?



'Everything changes, then changes again.'



Final Score: 3.5/5