The Winter Child (Hardcover)

~ Wendy Froud (Author), John Lawrence Jones (Author), (Author), Brian Froud (Author) "The faery court of Old Oak Wood was not the largest in the British Isles, but it was the oldest, steeped in elfin history and..." (more)
Key Phrases: tree root faery, marsh faery, fox faeries, Lady Winter, Goblin Wars, King Oberon (more...)

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

• 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 (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #743,606 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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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

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 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.

7 of 7 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

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