 Snow White and Rose Red Retold by Meredith Herston Illustrated by Fitzgerald Zellis There once was a woman who lived in a little cottage with a beautiful garden in the front yard. She grew two rose trees, one bearing white roses and the other red. She had two children who were just like the two rose trees. One was called Snow White and the other Rose Red. They were the sweetest and best children in the whole world. Rose Red loved to run around the fields and meadows, but most of all she liked to pick flowers and catch butterflies. Snow White liked to sit at home with her mother and help her with the house and the sewing or read to her by the fire. The two girls were the best friends and when they ventured into the forest no animal was scared of them and none tried to hurt them. One evening as the family sat cosily together, someone knocked at the door. The mother answered the door. She thought it could be a traveler in need of shelter, but it was no such thing. It was a bear that poked his thick black head through the door. Rose Red was frightened and ran to Snow White, who was already hiding behind her mother. But the bear began to speak and he said, don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. I am very cold and only wish to warm myself up. My poor bear, said the mother, lie down by the fire and be careful of your fur. Then she called, Snow White and Rose Red, come out. The bear will not hurt you. He is a good honest creature. The bear let the children help him clean his fur of the snow and dirt and they soon grew to like him. When it was time for bed, the mother told the bear he was welcome there any time he needed a place to stay. The girls grew to love him and they looked forward to their nights of fun and games by the fire. So the bear returned every night until the spring time came. One night, the bear announced, now I must leave for the whole summer. But why, dear bear, asked Snow White. I must go into the woods and protect my treasure from the sneaky dwarves. In the winter, when everything is frozen, the dwarfs stay underground. But now, when the ground is warm from the sun, they come up to look for food and treasure. Snow White was quite sad about the bear having to leave. And when she opened the door to say goodbye, he caught a piece of his fur on the door handle. Snow White thought for sure that underneath his fur was a suit of glittering gold. But before she could say anything, the bear was gone off into the woods. A few days after the bear had left, the mother sent the girls into the woods to collect some branches for their fire. They came to a large tree and saw something jumping up and down. But they weren't sure what it was until they came up close. When they were nearer to the trunk of the tree, they could see a small man springing up and down with his long beard caught in the tree's trunk. Well, what are you standing there for? Aren't you going to help me? Said the little man. This old tree sprang out on me as I was trying to collect chips for my dwarf friend's fire, and now my beard is caught. Which one of you silly girls is going to get me out of here? Snow White and Rose Red looked at each other and then to the little man. They both had a feeling that he could be one of the dwarfs the bear warned them about, but they offered to help him anyway. The girls pulled and pulled, but could not set him free. The little man screamed, I am only a small dwarf. How come neither of you can set me free? Don't be so impatient, said Snow White. And she pulled out a pair of scissors from her pocket. She quickly snipped the dwarf's beard and he was free from the tree. Oh, you awful girls, you cut my beard. As the dwarf yelled and complained, he grabbed a large sack of precious jewels and stones that he had stashed behind the tree. And as he began to run away, a large bear came growling up behind him. Oh no, Mr. Bear, please spare me. I'll give you all this treasure. Just look at these precious stones. The bear looked at the dwarf and said, I will spare you, but you must leave these woods with your dwarf colony and never return. The dwarf left in such a hurry that the girls couldn't believe how quickly he was gone. They were so frightened that they began to run away themselves. Just then, the bear yelled to them, Snow White and Rose Red, don't be afraid. Wait and I'll come with you. Then they recognized his voice and stood still. And as the bear moved closer, they saw that his fur was falling off. Underneath was a beautiful man all dressed in gold. I am the king's son, he said, and have been cursed by that little dwarf who had stolen my treasure. I had to get it back from him to break the curse, and thanks to you, I found him. Snow White was so thrilled that her beloved bear was a prince, and they all left the woods together for the king's palace. Soon, Snow White and the prince were married and Rose Red married the prince's brother. They all shared the found treasure with the girl's mother who came to live at the palace. When she came, she brought the rose bushes with her so they could have beautiful red and white roses forever after.