Snow White & Other Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm - Claire Bloom

Anyone who has seen Academy Award-winning actress Claire Bloom in one of her femme fatale or Ice Queen roles can certainly see the ease with which she could portray an evil queen in Snow White, or any other action-packed fairy tale for that matter. Not quite so obvious might be her ability to personify such diverse characters as the comical dwarfs and the too-good-to-be-true Snow White. Such is the nature of her talents as a storyteller, however, that this series of recordings for Caedmon almost never fails to impress. The ongoing battle between good and evil that drives just about every fairy tale even takes on something of a reassuring nature when she is the narrator, so parents shouldn't worry about this record keeping a toddler up at night. The extended nature of the Snow White tale means this volume, one of two featuring the Brothers Grimm tales as retold by Amabel Williams-Ellis, features a few less total selections. The other two stories on the record are from the lesser-known stories of the Brothers Grimm, and children will enjoy discovering them. Fairy tale pals who like animal stories will particularly like the amusing "Hare and the Hedgehog." Bloom's diction is impeccable, and, as a result, the stories come with a certified stamp of Britishness. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide