A very brief post on a new, phenomenal book. Leave it to Lemony Snicket to give us a unique and creepy (but oddly comforting) take on a kid's fear of the dark. And only Lemony Snicket would give the dark a voice, a home, a purpose. Jon Klassen's illustrations perfectly accompany this tale--giving me a new favorite duo. Are you still reading this?! Go! Go, buy The Dark by Lemony Snicket!
The Last Unicorn: Collecting Immortality
I have six copies of The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle on my shelf. I used to collect them under the pretense of "giving them away"--and indeed, I have--everyone who knows me has a copy. However, my current six copies have become part of my being and are unlikely to be gifted. The Last Unicorn is the story of the world's last unicorn and her journey to discover why she is the last. You may remember the old movie (soundtrack by America, voiced by Mia Farrow and Angela Landsbury , among others), both haunting and silly. However, far from being just a children's book The Last Unicorn is a story for children and adults that pushes us to explore a fantasy world--and the world inside our own dreams and hearts. What is immortality worth? Can we capture it and hold it? Does true magic exist? Are we fooling ourselves out of magic and beauty every day in our attempts to define? From page one, we become aware that Beagle is a masterful word conjurer: "[the unicorn]
I've never read anything by Lemony Snicket. Does that make me a bad person? I have been curious about this, though. :)
ReplyDelete:-) Snicket's writing leans toward the overly-dramatic (WAY overly-dramatic), snarky pseudo-mystery/bleakly humorous . . . if that makes sense. His "Series of Unfortunate Events" is a big hit with kids (I also enjoy them). "The Dark" is less melodramatic, and I'm excited to see that Snicket (which is a pen-name) has a voice for younger audiences, too. Klassen was an ideal illustrating choice.
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