From Publishers Weekly
Bodger's (Clever-Lazy) great facility with recurring themes and characters from folklore shines forth in this homage to storytelling and women's wisdom. Providing a framework for these stories within stories is a recasting of the Brothers Grimm's "Snow White and Rose Red." Sisters Daisy and Rosy live with their parents, Sylvania and Bernardo, in the forest. Their idyllic life changes dramatically when their father, whose name means "bear," goes off to war (in a nod to the Brothers Grimm's "Bearskin"). Meanwhile, Sylvania, whose name means "place of trees," supports herself and the girls by drawing upon the knowledge of herbs and healing passed down by her female forebears: "She kept a colony of maggots to use against axe wounds.... She knew the benefit of spiderwebs for curing infection." This knowledge, plus a treasure trove of stories, provides sustenance for the forest family while they await Bernardo's return. Years later, when he shows up on their doorstep, bitter and angry, Sylvania determines to find a way to heal his war-damaged heart. Throughout the book, women characters demonstrate moral and physical strength that carry them through the roughest circumstances. In an appendix, Bodger explains the many sources she wove together to create this inventive mingling of tales, including ones from Arthurian legend, the Old Testament and Greek myths. Final artwork not seen by PW. Ages 8-11. (Sept.) FYI: Bodger's adult book, How the Heather Looks: A Joyous Journey to the British Sources of Children's Books, is being reissued by McClelland & Stewart in Sept.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-A fantasy that reads more like an aggregation of stories than a novel. Bodger's use of language is both rhythmical and poetic, but the story line is fragmented, making it difficult to follow the plot or empathize with the characters. An isolated family lives in a forest in an indeterminate, preindustrial time. The father, Bernardo, a woodworker, is strong and loving; the mother, Sylvania, is caring and highly knowledgeable in the arts of storytelling and healing. They have two daughters, Rose and Daisy. Bernardo is called to join the king's army. When he returns many years later, he discovers that the women have developed their own means of survival, changes that he cannot accept. Sylvania does not want to return to their old ways. Bodger fleshes out the story by incorporating traditional tales into the narrative and using Sylvania as her storyteller. The themes of self-assertion, feminism, and environmentalism connect the stories; however, they seem imposed upon the characters. The poetic, formal fairy-tale language and the traditions and sources discussed in the appendix are a testament to Bodger's storytelling experience, but, in the end, the story of Sylvania and her family feels manipulated, and not organically created.
Judith Everitt, Orchard Hill Elementary School, Skillman, NJ Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
