The Winter Child [Hardcover]

Wendy Froud (Author), John Lawrence Jones (Author), Terri Windling (Author), Brian Froud (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up

From the creator's of A MIDSUMMER'S FAERY TALE comes a new volume which opens the magical window of enchantment once more with an extraordinary combination of story and art. All the denizens of the wood have gathered for the grand winter holiday...but this year something is strangely wrong. By now the forest should be blanketed with snow, but the air remains warm, the leaves have not fallen, and branches remain laden with autumn's fruit. Somehow, the cycle of nature has been halted, and even the faery king, Oberon, cannot fathom why winter has not arrived. By turns charming, menacing, and hilarious, THE WINTER CHILD follows Sneezle and Twig as they bravely ferret out the terrible truth behind Winter's absence and witness a dramatic duel of sorcerers in which the future of the faery kingdom hangs in the balance. In this marvellous collaboration between renowned doll maker Wendy Froud and award-winning writer Terri Windling, the entrancing story twists and turns its way through the magical beauty and ominous shadows of the faeries' world. Art-directed by Brian Froud, beloved creator of such classics as GOOD FAERIES/BAD FAERIES, the book's spectacular photographs capture Sneezle, Twig, King Oberon and Queen Titania, the sorcerer Malagan, the Royal Council of Sorcerers, and the faeries of Old Oak Wood, all in such vivid detail that they seem to come alive...as indeed, perhaps, they are.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Flawlessly conceived and exquisitely produced, this gentle fable unites two favorite fantasy themes, the quest for a precious object and a duel between Good and Evil. As a doll and puppet maker extraordinaire, Froud follows her earlier successes (The Dark Crystal; The Empire Strikes Back; etc.), with this gentle fable, written with compassion and occasional sly wit by five-time World Fantasy Award-winner Windling. Beautifully designed by husband Brian Froud and handsomely photographed by Jones, the lovely illustrations evoke a beguiling faeryland where the real blends almost imperceptibly into make-believe. At the very bottom of Greenmoss Glen, deep in Old Oak Wood, the humble little furry tree root faery Sneezle dons his red holiday finery for King Oberon and Queen Titania's Midwinter Eve festival but Oberon's gold and amethyst cup goes missing on this too warm Midwinter Eve. Searching for Oberon's stolen cup, Sneezle and his engaging marsh thistle faery companion, Twig, find a mysterious baby hatching from a golden egg, then elude evil goblins sent by wizard-gone-wrong Malagan, whose wicked spell prevents Lady Winter from entering the land. When Malagan duels with Good Sorceress Tamaryst, Sneezle and Twig help right the mythic circle of the seasons, a graceful reenactment of Windling's familiar "the last shall be first" theme. Meshing seamlessly with her sensitive text, the photos of Froud's creations provide a delightful visual excursion into this land of childhood heart's desire. 7-city author tour.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-There's trouble in the faery court of Old Oak Wood. Though Titania and Oberon have made elaborate preparations for the Revels surrounding their annual Midwinter Eve rites, Autumn lingers in their small kingdom, for Winter will not come. To make matters worse, Oberon's favorite cup is stolen. Humble Sneezle, a tree root faery, and his friend Twig, a marsh thistle faery, embark on a quest to find it. (These two are veterans of an earlier quest, chronicled in A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale [S & S, 1999].) The young faeries find the cup and more: a mysterious faery baby hatched from an egg. Sneezle and Twig, along with the baby, encounter goblins, sorcerers kind and malevolent, beautiful women with unknown powers, and other magic beings, all depicted in Froud's elaborate tableaux. Her doll-like sculptures and props are arranged in detailed settings and photographed in rich color. Generations of creative children have imagined similar environments for faeries in woods and gardens. This slick production turns free-flowing imaginative play into a static commercial product, using archetypes skimmed from the froth of the cauldron of story. This title will find an audience, especially among collectors of the artist's dolls, lured perhaps through Froud's Web site. Librarians may need to satisfy that audience, but the book is too precious to make even a modest contribution to fantasy literature.
Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743202341
• ISBN-13: 978-0743202343
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,131,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A balm for an insane world, October 16, 2001

By 

Bratzworld.TV "snowflakebebe" (New York City!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Winter Child (Hardcover)

I live in the East Village and out my window from my roof and in my circle of friends it was a living horror in mid September. That was supoposed to be fall, the time of cooling and colored leaves. I can't believe anything was capable of relieving the parade of nightmares, that were real. Escape? - this book is an amazing little doorway to somewhere else. I am not the kind of person to cower, but I needed to open my eyes and see something far away, something otherworldly and something that could for a shining moment relieve a tired mind. Just a rest, just a glimpse of beauty. This work of art is perfect.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical tale, December 30, 2001

By 

Laume "a million shades of green" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Winter Child (Hardcover)

This is an extremely beautiful book. With Wendy Froud's doll making skills and Terri Windling's magical story weaving, teamed up with Brian Froud well, it sounds too good to be true. This follow up to "A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale" did not disappoint.

Sneezle, our beloved hero from the first book, is again teamed up with his friend Twig for a quest to find out why Winter has not yet reached their forest. Again they encounter many characters, in which Wendy's dolls never fail to amaze me. She is so incredibly gifted. I would like to show this book to anyone who does not appreciate winter as a season, because while it's not the "moral" of the story...it takes a look at winter as being the season for rest so that everything can be reborn in the spring. It tells a magnificent tale.

Not only is it a wonderful book to read and enjoy, but it's a treasure to put up on the shelf or coffee table for looking at again and again.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It just gets better!, October 23, 2001

By 

Kerrie McNay (Heath, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Winter Child (Hardcover)

Terri, Wendy, and Brian have done it again! Teaming up again to send Sneezle, the beloved hero of "A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale," on another adventure, the Frouds and Windling masterfully create a mythical world that defies the pages the story is written on. Using photographs of dolls created by Wendy Froud in settings built in the Froud's garden studio, the characters literally step from the pages. Fresh and exciting, Windling's writing brings new life to old folklore, bringing the faeries and goblins of Dartmoor out of their hiding places, at least for a little while, for us to see. A treasure to keep, with plenty to share, this is a wonderful read for the self and the wee ones!

Kerrie Colantonio, Penny-A-Page Publishing