By Brian JacquesIn the search to find cool things to read to the boys at bedtime I took the recommendation of a nephew, and we have just completed Redwall, by Brian Jacques. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, think Wind in the Willows with teeth and swords. We have Matthias and his warrior mice and woodland creatures defending the abbey of Redwall from Cluny the Scourge, an evil rat and his rat and stoat hoards. Throw in an adder named Asmodeussssssss, a mad as a meat axe hare named Basil Stag Hare, and my favourite character of all, a young sparrow called War-beak, a very warlike character who when captured tells every one I killee, I killee you, and it makes for a rollicking adventure. I don't know if it's a good thing but we've been wandering around the house telling each other I killee you, you no lookie and I killee! This is what you get in a crime writer's household.
Next up is Treasure Island...
Posts
6 comments:
omg - you didn't know about him and this series. grin. shame on you.
Sounds great. I read another, perhaps similar - ie 'Wind and the Willows with swords" type series when I was a young - William Horwood's Duncton Chronicles (Duncton Wood, Duncton Found etc). Touted as "a clash of good and evil in the savage kingdom of moles". It was great, I really enjoyed it, and still remember it fondly decades later - perhaps you could try that (if you haven't already) at some stage too
I can't get my kids to read these books or even to watch the movie which my mum brought for them. They see the animals on the cover and its all over.
Maybe I should try bribery and corruption...
I admit I haven't read these yet either, but as a teenager I did read and love the series about a society of moles, "Duncton Wood," which Kiwicraig mentioned. Highly recommend it.
Treasure Island is good, but it can hardly beat "I killee you."
And those characters sound absolutely irresistible. Why are my children too old for good night stories?
I know, Tania, shame on me. I can see we'll have to read more of it, or I'll have to read it!
The Duncton Wood books sound great too, guys. I'll have to hunt them out. Is there a Redwall movie, Pen, or were you referring to The Wind in the Willows?
Dorte, kids are never too old for bedtime stories. I suppose it would be awkward if they'd left home and you had to ring them up to read to them!
But two of them HAVE left home.
Even my ´little´ daughter is twenty now and she probably reads and writes just as well as I do.
I do force them to read or listen to one of my own stories as often as I can, though ;D Fortunately they all like a good crime story.
Post a Comment