#876 of 1001 · December 24, 2022

Tonight is Christmas Eve. If your path has taken you out into the bitter chill, perhaps I can provide you some measure of warmth with a look at the solemn and heartfelt Through the Mickle Woods, written by Valiska Gregory and illustrated Barry Moser. The queen is dead, and a pall has settled over the castle. During the period of mourning, Michael, a young orphan and ward of the castle, reveals a letter containing the queen’s ring and her last will. The king must take the boy to deliver the ring to a mysterious bear who lives in the dark and mickle woods. Reluctantly, the grieving monarch agrees to honor his wife’s request. After receiving the ring, the bear tells three stories, teaching tales with great symbolic resonance. The parables warn against grasping for easy answers, shying away from risk, and trying to separate the bad from the good in life. Finally, young Michael and the king return to the castle as the morningtide bells begin to peal, hope for the future within their souls. Gregory fills her narrative with beauty and pathos, each moment crafted to inform the king’s journey from despair to acceptance. With paintings of ink, watercolor, and gouache, Moser gives readers glimpses at the world of the story in stately tableaux. For all of you traveling through sorrow and cold, I wish a safe passage and good warmth at journey’s end. #woods #forest #king #queen #bear #winter #night #morning #story #stories #storyteller #storytelling #death #life #book #books #childrensbooks #picturebook #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks