The Forest Family

Bodger's (Clever-Lazy) great facility with recurring themes and characters from folklore shines forth in this homage to storytelling and women's wisdom. Providing a framework for these stories within stories is a recasting of the Brothers Grimm's ""Snow White and Rose Red."" Sisters Daisy and Rosy live with their parents, Sylvania and Bernardo, in the forest. Their idyllic life changes dramatically when their father, whose name means ""bear,"" goes off to war (in a nod to the Brothers Grimm's ""Bearskin""). Meanwhile, Sylvania, whose name means ""place of trees,"" supports herself and the girls by drawing upon the knowledge of herbs and healing passed down by her female forebears: ""She kept a colony of maggots to use against axe wounds.... She knew the benefit of spiderwebs for curing infection."" This knowledge, plus a treasure trove of stories, provides sustenance for the forest family while they await Bernardo's return. Years later, when he shows up on their doorstep, bitter and angry, Sylvania determines to find a way to heal his war-damaged heart. Throughout the book, women characters demonstrate moral and physical strength that carry them through the roughest circumstances. In an appendix, Bodger explains the many sources she wove together to create this inventive mingling of tales, including ones from Arthurian legend, the Old Testament and Greek myths. Final artwork not seen by PW. Ages 8-11. (Sept.) FYI: Bodger's adult book, How the Heather Looks: A Joyous Journey to the British Sources of Children's Books, is being reissued by McClelland & Stewart in Sept.