The Wood at Midwinter

Hugo Award winner Clarke (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell) enchants with this bite-size Christmassy fairy tale. Readers meet sisters Isolde and Merowdis Scot on a snowy sleigh ride with Merowdis’s two dogs and one pet pig (to say nothing of the cats, birds, ferret, and other wild creatures waiting for her at home). Merowdis, whom Isolde believes to be a saint due to her inability to comprehend the difference between animals and people, is misunderstood by the rest of the family and discouraged from visiting the nearby woods, but Isolde is happy to help her and her pets slip away on a nature walk. The trees show Merowdis a vision of herself as a mother to a wriggling bear cub, a destiny she happily embraces, despite knowing it will tear her from the human world. Sawdon’s whimsical illustrations add charm, and a fascinating endnote from Clarke reveals her thought process while writing: “Snow always seems to me to signal a quietening of the spirit, a different sort of consciousness. And then obviously I added a pig, because there ought to be more pigs in books.” The juxtaposition of thoughtful and sometimes unsettling atmospherics with quirky enjoyment delights. This is an ideal stocking stuffer. (Oct.)