Book Review: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
The Tale of Despereaux is a children's novel and appropriate for the young chapter book readers, but the plot appealed to me even as an adult. It's just gorgeous!
The Tale of Despereaux has been around a while, and I have been wanting to read it for years. It is a children's novel and appropriate for the young chapter book readers, but the plot appealed to me even as an adult. I also have to admit that the gorgeous illustrations drew me in as well. I adore fantastic covers!
The story focuses primarily on a very small mouse named Despereaux. He, like many of the characters’ good sides, is drawn to light. One day, he falls in love with Princess Pea, but the mouse community disapproves of this and throws him to the rats in the dungeon. While there, he overhears a plot by one rat lying to a very simple, deaf girl to kidnap the princess. Though Despereaux tries to get help, he is the only one who can save her.
This enchanting story is an uplifting tale about forgiveness as the only true way to be yourself and bravery in the face of trials. It is written in the most beautiful style with the most engaging narrative voice since the old writers such as George MacDonald, C.S. Lewis, and Tolkien. It is a simple, straightforward story with the most extraordinarily complex characters. Both the good characters and the villains are sympathetic, in which we actually want everyone to have some kind of happy ending, and they do in very surprising ways.
I have read tons of children’s books and fairy tales. I thought I would easily know how this story resolves, but the way it gets there had so many unexpected turns. Now, after having read the book, it seems like this story was told in the only way it could have been told. Nothing in the story or characters was forced or imposed.
The book well deserved the award it received and is probably the best children’s book I have read in years. I am very sure this will be a classic book for future generations. If you do not own this book and have children, it really needs to be the next book you buy. I really cannot praise this book highly enough.
Not only is this book very clean, but it also teaches some of the most difficult and important life lessons we can teach our children. Grace, mercy, forgiveness, bravery, and a pursuit of all that is good are central to this novel’s themes. This is not a story about fluff for the sake of just getting children to read. It is an easy-to-read piece of meat to nourish a child’s soul. It is not a Christian novel or one that promotes any religion, but if you are religious or not I am still sure you will love this book.
Surprisingly, there are some very dark and heavy backgrounds for the two little girls in the book. Both girls have lost their mothers and are still grieving. The deaf girl has also been treated terribly and abused, so that even though she is influenced by the rat, you really hope she gets her dream of being a princess. The depth of honest emotions is conveyed in a sensitive way to both tell the child readers how dark evil can be without traumatizing them. It has the correct balance to encourage children who have experienced that darkness, but children who have not seen such parts of the world yet won’t understand more than the simple terms given.
I could easily read this book over and over again just to savor the beautiful descriptions and lovely images. The story has a good, quick pace with short chapters that are appropriate, but it does not sacrifice quality writing. I get very tired of books being marketed to children because they are not written well. This book is the opposite. It is far better writing than most adult novels sold today. It is just pure light.