Fetch موش کوچولو Conveyed By Kate DiCamillo Distributed As Publication
are light. Light is precious in a world so dark, Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make some light. "
This story and I have a long history, I fell madly in love with the film years ago, played the video game based on it, I was enchanted with the concept of a valiant little mouse who brought light back to a kingdom that desperately needed it.
But somehow, I never read the book it was based on, Time went on, I look back on the film fondly but haven't watched it in years, Finally I decided, it was time, I was going to read "The Tale of Despereaux",
Let's start out by saying that this story is dark, Literally and metaphorically. Kate DiCamillo warns at the beginning that this story is not made of sweetness and light, A lot of the story is desperately sad, full of anger and revenge and adults failing children, There's violence and abuse and perfidy which I did, in fact, have to look up it means deceit
But at the same time, the story is endlessly hopeful.
Despereaux himself is a character you can't help but love, one who's just doing his best to be as noble as he can, charming at every turn, And did I want to cry every time another echo or parallel appeared between his story and that of Roscuro, Miggory Sow, and Princess Pea, . . why yes, yes I did,
So yes, I adored this book, It's scary and beautiful and captivating, all about forgiveness and trying your best, I'm almost glad it took me so long to read it, so I could read it just when I needed it, Five, easily. I loved it so much,
also the theme song of this book is "enchanted" by taylor swift, no i will not elaborate,
"Once upon a time," he said out loud to the darkness, He said these words because they were the best, the most powerful words that he knew and just the saying of them comforted him, A perfect combination of sweet and dark, Or
light and dark, would be a more fitting description, I suppose, And by that I don't just mean that there were good deeds and bad deeds, right and wrong and everyone learned a lesson, Everyone didn't learn a lesson and some people/rats/mice were bad, cowardly, or just plain stupid, This is nothing like Roald Dahl, but they share a quality that I very much appreciate, particularly in children's lit: they let you dislike the unlikeable, Everyone is not nice or good, but some people or mice are exceptionally good and honorable, And Dicamillo, of course, never shies away from the sad, She may like death and disappoint a lot, but, I for one am glad it's out there for kids to read, I think parents or the ones that shop here, anyway, sometimes want to overprotect and forget that we learn just as much, if not more, from a book with both ends of the spectrum.
"Everything, as you well know having lived in this world long enough to have figured out a thing or two for yourself, cannot always be sweetness and light, " pg
I really like the narrator, I like the questions she asks, I "Reader, do you think that it is a terrible thing to hope when there is really no reason to hope at all Or is it as the soldier said about happiness something that you might just as well do, since, in the end, it really makes no difference to sitelinkanyone but you", I like that she forces a dictionary on you "Reader, do you know what the word 'perfidy' means I have a feeling you do, based on the little scene that just unfolded here.
But you should look up the word in your dictionary, just to be sure, ", and I really love it when she encourages you to say the word "quest" out loud, Fantastic and completely engaging. From the moment Despereaux the mouse was born, everyone knew he was different, Born extremely small with strange ears and the only survivor of the litter, his parents weren't sure if he could stay alive, As time goes on, Despereaux becomes quite a curious little critter and begins to question the world around him, He discovers a love for music and falls in love with a lovely princess named Pea, The issue is that Despereaux has gone against the rules put forth by the mouse council by showing himself to the princess, and now he must deal with the consequences by spending time in the dark dungeon below the castle.
He's been ordered by the mouse council, including his father, and there's no turning back,
He considered fainting, He deemed it the only reasonable response to the situation in which he found himself, but then he remembered the words of the threadmaster: honor, courtesy, devotion, and bravery.
"I will be brave," thought Despereaux, "I will try to be brave like a knight in shining armor, I will be brave for Princess Pea, "
The book is told in four parts and the entire book setting takes place at the castle in the kingdom of Dor, The whole book is narrated by an omniscient narrator whom isn't related to the story, but remains the storyteller throughout, The first part begins with Despereaux and his family, The second covers a rat named Chiaroscuro Roscuro who is very confused and on the verge of becoming evil, The third book introduces a new character named Miggery Sow, a young girl who was abandoned by her father and wants nothing more than to become a princess just like Pea.
The fourth and last part of the book is when all of these characters come together for the climax of the story and I have to say that their fate is never predictable.
Other characters include King Phillip Pea's fatherruler of Dor, a jailer, a cook, and an evil rat in the dungeon named Botticelli, We honestly loved all of the characters, Each one had their own story and were welldeveloped, Despereaux was hands down my favorite character, Regardless of his size, he's very hopeful and courageous, His fear is always present, but his perseverance prevails, Miggery Sow was my son's favorite and she was likable with her eventual change of heart, We loved her language and her repeated use of the word "Gor!", My daughter's favorite character was Roscuro because you're never totally sure who's side he's going to take,
We found the story charming as it reads like a fairy tale, I was a little nervous once I realized that the book was told in separate parts, You get so invested in the first part and can't wait to find out what will unfold, and then there's the switch to a new book with new characters.
I thought that format might derail us, but it didn't, We appreciated the sketched illustrations which enhance the story and bring the characters to life, There's a lot going on between characters and the action makes this a real pageturner, There were twists we didn't see coming and there was no telling what direction the story would take, I always love the themes in Kate DiCamillo's books and this story includes themes of love, revenge, courage, family and forgiveness,
Overall, Kate DiCamillo has woven another wonderful story for children that even adults can enjoy, I'm so glad I purchased this for our home library because I know it's one that we'll reread in the future!
Seeing the Light
A Book Kate DiCamillos The Tale of Desperaux
Despereaux Tilling is the most unusual mouse youlll likely meet.
Conspicously small with considerable large ears, he has always been seen as different, an outsider among his own a mouse drawn to music, fascinated with stories, and breaks the strict rule of their kind by falling in love with a human, the Princess Pea.
Roscuro leads a normal, rotten rat life in the dungeon, his is a world of utter darkness, Until one day, when a match was lit in front of his face and he ventures upstairs in the castle, he began to crave nothing but the color and light that he is denied, and and so vows to make others miserable, plunging them to the gloom which he is subjected.
Miggery Sow, “named after his fahters favorite prizewinning pig,” lost her mother when she was young, Her father abandoned and sold her away to an old man who boxed the girls ear until she became hard of hearing, Finally, on a fateful stroke of fortune, she came to the castle where she proved to be a slowwitted servant, But Mig has aspirations: she has seen the Princess and wants to become her,
These unique assortment of characters will set out to an adventure and stumble into each others lives in Kate DiCamillosNewbery awardwinning novel, The Tale of Despereaux.
For a long time Ive looking for a childrens book that I will flat out love and this book has got to be it!
Beautifully told by a narrator that directly speaks to the reader, it has a delicate magic about it that holds the yours attention from start to finish, spellbound by the unfolding story page after page, seize by its peculiar storyline that jumps backwards and forwards into certain events in the tale that leaves you anticipating for whats going to happen next.
Kate DiCamillos voice,trimmed with wit and wisdom, is wildly authorative asking us questions showing us a thing or two about what is disappointment, grief, prejudice, and forgiveness sometimes instructing the reader to look up a particular word in the dictionary and pointing us about the consequences of certain actions while at the same over the top, funny, and confiding yet in a manner that doesnt feel intrusive, talks down to its reader or break the storys pace.
Its a wondeful storytellers voice that makes every word beg to be read aloud,
Timothy Basil Erings sprightly illustrations add more dimension to its quirky characters and takes the reader a step beyond the world of Despereaux, The books lovely design gives this fairy tale a mythic feel that contributes to its over all enjoyment,
Over and above, what makes The Tale of Despereaux truly remarkable is that it boldly tackles weighty themes that regular childrens books would have avoided.
Given that this is a fairy tale with talking animals as its characters, Kate DiCamillo dares to raise topics that are too close for comfort, She doesnt shy away from or sugarcost the darker aspects of her story by bringing to the fore subjects such as cruelties one can do to harm or hurt others, violence, child abuse and the most awful of the lot parental abandonment.
Through Despereauxs story we see the pains of being different and his search for love and acceptance, things that are not often freely given, sadly sometimes, by those who belong in our primal relationship or even by those who are close to us.
Dealing with these raw emotions in a way makes me feel that it may not appeal to some readers, notable of which are parents who are cautious with what their children are reading and I at one see that this might not be an ideal bedtime story reading.
But wellmeaning parents please do check this one out!
Far from being gloomy, The Tale of Despereax is a book that celebrates courage in believing in yourself, honor, redemption, kindness, compassion and forgiveness.
As a fullbodied soup, it warms and comforts the heart, As an entrée, the author serves up a satisfying meal in the grand tradition of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales yet with distinction all its own and a balanced treatment of its main ingridient, the darkness and light, each equally important but with a decided appreciation towards the latter for just as the author declares “Stories are light.
” Yes, I believe this story illuminates and will be cherieshed by children and childathearts, It shines on.
And how did it end you ask
It may not end up in the way they exactly wished for, as dreams arent realized in the way one hopes it to be.
Still one can create it in a way it is need and can be achieved in more ways than one which goes to say that yes, Gentle Reader, each character deserves their own happily ever after.
Book Details:
Book for
Published by Candlewick Press
Hardcover, First Edition
pages
Started: March,
Finished: March,
My Rating:
See this book review on my book blog sitelink Dark Chest of Wonders and for many others.
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