Through the Mickle Woods

Even a decade after I first read this book it hasn't lost its power to floor me. Both the narrative and illustrations are spellbinding, and the poetry in the language of first page alone knocks the breath out of me every time I read it. Calling Through the Mickle Woods a "children's book" is criminal; it's simply one of the best things I've ever read. It is well, well, well worth seeking out a copy to own.

A king has lost himself in grief and melancholy over his dead queen. Knowing he would, the dying lady had to take on the emotional load of making a plan to have an orphan and a bear help him get over his pathetic self. A woman's work . . .

Dull, wordy, and morose . . . I can't imagine a child finding much to enjoy here.

The story behind our owning the book is better: Back in the 1990s my wife worked for Little, Brown and Company in an office in their distribution warehouse. Each year just before Christmas, the company would have a book giveaway for the employees from the returned and remaindered books they would otherwise trash. Employees and their immediate family would line up around a couple dozen large bins heaped with random books, show more and at a starting signal everyone would scramble to dig through the bins looking for popular titles and hidden gems to keep for themselves or wrap as presents for Christmas. I'm pretty sure my wife plucked this book out of one of those bins.

FOR REFERENCE:

#916 in our old book database. Not rated. show less

A gift to my OBCZ. ?áPretty. ?áValid message. ?áShaped like a picture book, but lots of text and fairly sophisticated ideas. ?áI can't guess whether you'd like it, but I found it to be flavored like an?á'instant classic' and just as instantly forgettable.

A bear's tales help a king and a boy appreciate their world.