
The Cats of Tanglewood Forest. ( Ages 6 to 9)
By : Charles de Lint ( Author) Charles Vess ( Illustrator)
Publisher : Little Brown Books for Young Readers ( March., 2013)
A beautiful and an enchanting fantasy full of wilderness,wild animals and magic. All woven together with lyrical heart-felt text by Charles de Lint. Animal characters including a lot of cats and a very wise fox called T.H.Reynolds( The T is for truthful, the H is for handsome) will bring this closer to children, while their conversations with the child protagonist Lillian provides some wisdom.
Twelve-year-old imaginative Lillian loved to explore her neighboring Tanglewood forest and often wondered about fairies and magic, but she met none, until one day she found herself transformed into a cat! The magical wild cats of Tanglewood who loved Lillian for her kindness had to do it to save her life!
Her journeys through the dangerous woods - where mean Bear People, an Apple Tree Man, the Father Cat and the old Mother Possum takes residence - to change the turn of events and destinies are full of magic and very entertaining. The utterly elegant illustrations of Charles Vess are very much helpful in creating imagery; A red-haired Lillian in a slightly translucent green dress surrounded by lush green forestry, the Possum witch who`s half human and half possum with various coloured bottles hanging around her and a final layout with Lillian`s beloved aunt in her old age altogether creates a wonderful treat for one`s eyes.
A simple story structure which emphasises the importance of kindness and reminds the reader that aging and death are unchangeable.The illustrations play a key role in keeping the readers stay attached to the book till the end. The combination of text and illustrations together creates a page turning experience and a wonderful book worthy of possessing.