Redwall Abbey.

I've been reading the Redwall books over the past few days.

I grew up reading them. Back when I was pretty young, maybe 12 or 13, they captured my attention for some time. I have 8 of the books in the series (there are 17 now) and have read at least two more, though I don't know their names now. The magical and mystical world that Brian Jacques weaves enchanted me as a child and I find that now, as an adult, with a reading level far beyond what he expects, I still admire his work. It is simple at times, and formulaic, to be sure, but still there is truth in between the lines.

His stories tell of adventure and excitement but also of loss and pain. His stories bring forth heros for us to respect and we grow as they grow. It seems that sometimes we are presented the chance to learn from their mistakes. A good author for children.

His characters sparkle and glisten, each mad villian a portait of infamous evils. Each Hero a shining beacon of hope in a dark world. His charicatures of forest creatures as different segments of society are heartwarming and encouraging, his rustic and faithful moles make us smile, and his dashing and cavalier hares make us laugh.

It's a nice escape from the madness of each crazy day. But sometimes I wonder. . . if you could jump into any picture book, what book would you choose? But more about that on another day. That's a topic that deserves its own post. . . later.

But don't you worry lads and lassies, I won't forget the flippin' thing. Bally old topic needs to be scribbled about by somebody, wot? These blinkin' posts won't write themselves!