Children’s author Kate DiCamillo opens her latest book, "The Puppets of Spelhorst," like so many fairy tales:
Once, there was a king.
And a wolf.
And a girl with a shepherd’s crook.
And a boy with arrows and a bow.
And also, there was an owl. …
The king and the wolf and the girl and the boy and the owl were puppets, and they were waiting for a story to begin…
The puppets are jumbled together at the bottom of a trunk with the word “SPELHORST” stenciled on its lid. And we know, as one character keeps insisting, that we are in for “a dark and terrible mystery.”
The winner of two Newbery Medals, DiCamillo creates unforgettable stories and characters steeped in humor, wisdom, and more than anything, a clear sense of what young readers love. “The Puppets of Spelhorst” harkens back to “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,” which focused on the wanderings of a china rabbit. Though the puppets bicker and boast, they also comfort one another and maintain hope that they’re destined for a larger story. That story unfolds in the sweetest, most DiCamillo kind of way.
“The Puppets of Spelhorst” is the first of a projected trio of modern fairy tales authored by DiCamillo — each of which will be illustrated by a different artist. Julie Morstad’s illustrations here are dark and moody, a bit like Edward Gorey, and add to the book’s classic appeal.
DiCamillo dedicated this book to author Ann Patchett, who in turn dedicated her recent novel, “Tom Lake,” to DiCamillo. It’s a mutual admiration society that’s fun to think about. And if they’re offering memberships, sign me up.
