#719 of 1001 · July 20, 2022

Here we stand in the very heart of our Week of Tam Lin, and I’m transfixed at this version by Robin Muller, titled The Nightwood. Elaine, daughter of the Earl of March, grows up in wealth and happiness. Her old nurse warns her to stay away from the Nightwood, a nearby forest in the mystical grip of the Elfin Queen. If she goes near, she might just vanish like the son of the Earl of Roxborough, who strayed too near the trees long ago. When her father throws a ball but forbids her to attend, Elaine retaliates by running straight to the Nightwood, where an Elfin knight called Tamlynne welcomes her. Each month at the full moon, she returns to dance with the Elfin throng. Finally, she learns that Tamlynne is none other than the long-lost son of the Earl of Roxborough, a mortal trapped among the supernatural band. On All Hallow’s Eve, she boldly saves him by pulling him off his horse and holding him tightly to her, though the Elfin Queen in her wrath changes him into a snarling bear, a fluttering dove, a coiling serpent, and a fiery brand. With respect for the original Scottish ballad, Muller presents an ornate story and elegant, brightly colored illustrations. #elf #elves #love #magic #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #classicchildrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks