Snow Daughter?

[author_by_night]

So it's snowing in Maryland, and it made me think of this story I recall reading but can't name. I wondered if you would be able to? I'm pretty sure that it was a fairy tale of sorts written in the 1800s or 1900s.

The premise of the story, to the best of my recollection, is that a couple (elderly/childless perhaps?) adopts a snow girl as their child. They adore her until one day, she either melts or retreats into the snow.

Does anyone know what story I'm thinking of? Or is this something I completely made up in my head? 

ETA: I think I found it, but it appears to be a modern children's book - is this also a fairy tale? Because while the story i heard was definitely for kids, I don't remember it being in a book, unless someone just put an old story into a children's book. Or I'm crazy, that's also a possibility. ;)

Comments

[gileonnen.livejournal.com]

Snegurochka!

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

I actually looked it up on Amazon and apparently it's a children's book, although I'm not entirely sure it's not still based on something else because the book looks fairly modern and I don't think the story was.

However, the story you linked to seems really fascinating. Thanks!

[gileonnen.livejournal.com]

This was my copy, when I was a child. It is based on the story of Snegurochka, but curtailed a bit to cut out the Lel stuff.

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

I had that very same book. I'd forgotten about that story... now I'll have to look around when I'm at my mom's house next week.

[ehnel.livejournal.com]

What gileonnen said - Snegurochka - though I would never have remembered the snow girl's name on my own. It is definitely a fairy tale of some sort - I can remember reading it from an old book of Russian fairy tales when I was little.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snegurochka has a little more information. :) I never knew the version where she grew up to love a shepherd, though - just the version where she melted in the spring.

[gileonnen.livejournal.com]

It helps that 'sneg' is Russian for 'snow.' ^_~