A story of survival.
A story of unshakeable faith and indomitable courage.
A story of turning boulders of obstacles into nuggets of opportunities.
When six year old Marvel and her family are forced to live in a forest due to sudden vicissitudes of circumstances, she cringes at the sight of her soon-to-be home; an empty, ramshackle shack.
But her Mum's sage advice, "You'll never know what treasures we will find," springs forth a bellwether of hope.
As the story unravels, each page of the books seems to bring hope amidst insurmountable hopelessness.
The forest abounds in unfathomable riches. From the "soft, dark, rich soil" to the tracks of "whitetail deer", nature seems to pour out a wealth of resources for the family's survival.
A "twisting trout creek", a "blooming berry patch", is nature's way of indulging Marvel's family with miraculous opportunities of fortune.
While Marvel's Mum goes to work, she and her siblings find incredible ways of divvying up chores, demonstrating compassion, camaraderie and cooperation.
Marvel's siblings not only carve out games to hone their minds, but tap into their entrepreneurial spirit. This is no mean feat as the siblings range from 3 month Eva to 14 year Rich.
The joyous spring, the hot summer, the cool-and-crisp autumn, the frigid winter offers endless possibilities of joy and laughter; only of we know where to look for it.
When Marvel's Mum whips up "magic" with her cooking, Rich says, "a feast for the kings and queens of the forest!"
Marvel warms up to her new home and the shack looks "bright and filled up with love..."
Written and illustrated by Eliza Wheeler, Home in the Woods is an unforgettable story of love, hope and overcoming challenges in the midst of inordinate tribulations.
Based on a true story from the author's life, it is an amazing story of faith, hope, courage and persistence.
Underneath the element of sadness, there is an aura of hope and light that permeate throughout the book, materializing the proverbial statement "where there's a will there's a way".
The illustrations are breathtaking. I mean they are magical. Each time I pore over the art-work of one page, I find myself immovable to go on to the next page. Truly captivating!
A must read for children and adults.
My 12 year old, who loves to read my blog, pulled this quote from her chest of quotes. I thought it was so apt, that it would remiss of me not to include it in my conclusion.
"With this hope, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope" - Martin Luther King Jr.
Image Source: www.amazon.com
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books an imprint of Pengiun Random House LLC.
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