#847 of 1001 · November 25, 2022

A gem of poignant sadness is Maurice Sendak’s Dear Mili. A young girl’s quiet life with her mother is shattered by the arrival of a terrible war. The mother tells her to hide herself and sends her off into the forest. The girl wanders for a long time, uncertain of her future. Finally, she comes upon an old man dwelling in a little house in the woods. This man, who is later revealed to be Saint Joseph, cares for her and gives her shelter. She also spends time with a child who looks just like her—a guardian angel in human form. After three days, she returns to her village only to find that everything has changed and her mother is now an old woman. Each day in the forest, it emerges, was really ten years. Sendak’s illustrations endow the narrative with an even mix of tranquility and wonder. A note for folklore enthusiasts: As the book’s front matter explains, this tale was discovered in 1983 in a letter written to a little girl by Wilhelm Grimm. #dear #girl #mother #war #forest #woods #angel #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks