The Return of the Twelves by Pauline Clark
Written
in 1962, this was a book I read to my children. I usually chose books
with a fantastical element since they didn’t choose such books on their
own.
Together we read Tom’s Midnight Garden, Tuck Everlasting, The Indian in the Cupboard and so on.
The Return of the Twelves is a favorite.
Max
finds a box of twelve toy soldiers in the attic. The soldiers come to
life at night and Max eventually learns the soldiers were the playthings
of the Bronte children who endowed them with a magical ability to come
alive. (Branwell Bronte actually wrote a story about his soldiers called
“The History of the Boys”).
Tying the story to a real and literary family was especially delightful to me and leads young (or old) readers to an interest in the Brontes. Highly recommended.
5 comments:
I'll try it out.
For a darker, more adult take, check out BALTIMORE, or, THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER AND THE VAMPIRE by Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola.
Will do.
This looks like such a great read, Patti! I honestly think it's healthy for kids to hear\read stories with a fantasy element. There are so many ways that fantasy stories teach things and allow people to explore all sorts of things safely.
Me too. Let's them stretch their imagination.
And learn, at least at some level, the power of metaphor.
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