6 weeks of Stocking Stuffers..... Week 1

For the next 6 weeks I will posting ideas for Stocking Stuffers. Some are books I've reviewed on GivingNSharing. Some will be books I reviewed on CCB (Classic Children's Books). Some will be products that I find helpful with chronic pain and some will be neat little gadgets and some will be little projects that I am working on for Christmas Gifts... let's start with Week 1:

The Cats of Tanglewood Forest

by Charles de Lint
ISBN: 978-0316053570 $14.61 (hardback) $ 7.99 (kindle)

About the book:

The magic is all around you, if only you open your eyes....

Lillian Kindred spends her days exploring the Tanglewood Forest, a magical, rolling wilderness that she imagines to be full of fairies. The trouble is, Lillian has never seen a wisp of magic in her hillsuntil the day the cats of the forest save her life by transforming her into a kitten. Now Lillian must set out on a perilous adventure that will lead her through untamed lands of fabled creaturesfrom Old Mother Possum to the fearsome Bear Peopleto find a way to make things right.

In this whimsical, original folktale written and illustrated throughout in vibrant full color by two celebrated masters of modern fantasy, a young girl's journey becomes an enchanting coming-of-age story about magic, friendship, and the courage to shape one's own destiny.

This would be perfect for readalouds and independent readers—it has a classic, timeless feel to it. And check out some of Charles's exquisite artwork on this Pinterest board!

  My thoughts: I have to say I LOVED The Cats of Tanglewood Forest. The writing is beautiful and the images I received in my mind's eye exquisite. You have the story of a little farm girl who is being raised by her aunty, who speaks to the forests animals and ends up turning into a kitten. Her adventures as she travels the forest, meets a witch (or two), her experience living with the Bear People are exciting and draw you along in the story. I ended up staying up into the wee morning hours reading to finish this story. The end of the book is not at all what I expected and the choice that Lillian has to make in the end of the book would be very hard to make - it will make your kids stop and think "what would they do if they had to make the same choice?".   The writing for this story remind me of The Water Baby or even some of George MacDonald (Sir Gibbie, The Princess & the Goblin) or even CS Lewis's wonderful Narnia Chronicles. This would be a great story to while away a slow summer afternoon (or several) or a rainy/stormy day - or even a long trip on the airplane.. 

Disclaimer: I was originally offered a copy of the book to read and review on CCB. This review is being moved to GivingNSharing and reposted for my readers here. I was not required to post a positive review and no $ exchanged hands. Thanks for reading GivingNSharing!