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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
"That's what they called me. The one who lives with the animals."
My mother read this to me as a child & the memory of it has always been a warm light in my heart.
I finally decided read this on my own, as an adult. I was around four when my mom read it to me. It's so incredible to go back & re-read the books that carved us into who we are as people. And it's magical to think that after all these years, this story is almost exactly as I remembered it.
Books we love become part of who we are and stay with us, always.
My mother read this to me as a child & the memory of it has always been a warm light in my heart.
I finally decided read this on my own, as an adult. I was around four when my mom read it to me. It's so incredible to go back & re-read the books that carved us into who we are as people. And it's magical to think that after all these years, this story is almost exactly as I remembered it.
Books we love become part of who we are and stay with us, always.
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is an absolutely beautiful book full of wonderful imagery and touching moments. But I cannot stop thinking about the mermaid flopping across the meadow. A real mixed bag here that I'll be thinking about a long time. For a grown person, sure, this is great. But if you've got a kid at ALL sensitive about issues of life and death, give it a pass cause there's a lot of that in here. Fortunately, my younger kid fell asleep and my older one was content demand the definitions of unproblematic words.
According to the inscription inside, this book was given to me when I was three by my Godmother. A story that I remember hearing as I grew up, and reading again and again. Sadly, my kids never loved it, though I tried.
A recent recommendation for the Backlisted Podcast led me to their discussion and I was absorbed - a treasured book from my childhood! It was a good re-read and maybe I can entice my as-of-yet-unborn grandchildren.
A recent recommendation for the Backlisted Podcast led me to their discussion and I was absorbed - a treasured book from my childhood! It was a good re-read and maybe I can entice my as-of-yet-unborn grandchildren.
C.S. Lewis said, “A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." Like nearly everything Lewis ever said, I agree with this statement and tend to view books with it in mind. The Animal Family must be a very good children's book indeed, because it's a lovely adult book. Really, though, it's an everyone book. And it's shimmering and slippery and magical and lovely. I'm not really sure how to review the book, but I will say this: The Animal Family is one of my all-time favorites, a little slice of literary perfection.
I read this aloud to my 6 year old. It has "decorations" by Maurice Sendak, and a very Sendak-style dark, folk-and-fairy tale kind of feel. It's unusual and yet very traditional in some ways. I've never read a story about a mermaid who just decides to live on land without any kind of magical intervention before, and similarly the hunter and the mermaid make a family in similarly strange but sort of practical ways. But at the same time, it feels a bit like The Little Mermaid and a bit like every changeling story ever and a bit like every fairy tale about animals and humans interacting.
A hunter living in a cottage near the sea falls in love with a mermaid, who comes to live with him. They adopt a bear cub, a lynx kitten and a little boy and live happily ever after.
A sweet and simply told story with nicely drawn characters and lovely illustrations by Maurice Sendak.
A sweet and simply told story with nicely drawn characters and lovely illustrations by Maurice Sendak.
Knew there was a reason I used to like this one so much. It's beautiful, and I want to take it with me when I go.