A Redwall Winter's Tale

Young readers who have watched their older siblings devour the Redwall series by Brian Jacques will be overjoyed to find a Redwall tale just their pace. Along with The Great Redwall Feast, Jacques and illustrator Christopher Denise's A Redwall Winter's Tale brings the saga of the lively badger, mole, squirrel, and mouse denizens of Redwall Abbey to a younger audience. In this cozy, happy story, Bungo the mole-babe and his friend Tubspike the hedgehog maid are beside themselves with excitement as they await some very special guests on the last day of autumn. Little do they know there's another, even more special guest on his way.

Verse interspersed with prose makes this cheerful, pleasing tale a perfect read-aloud--perhaps in small doses, though. Denise's depictions of the many beasts feasting, celebrating, playing, and sleeping are adorable without being too precious. Here is a terrific introduction to the more advanced tales of danger and adventure in the well-loved Redwall series. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter