NIGHT OF THE DEER

A child’s connection to the natural world results in an enchanted night.

On the drive to school, Arabella’s parents, after spotting a stag and a doe in a cornfield, repeat the stories they were once told by their grandparents. Mama and Papa note that deer can be “tricksters,” taking human shape to mingle with people. Later, Arabella impulsively invites the wild couple to the harvest dance, which the students are excitedly getting ready for. The deer just stare, but at the dance, a “lovely pair” of graceful strangers appear. Parents and children admire and wonder as the couple waltz. As they leave, they offer Arabella (and readers) a clue to their amazing secret. Preparing us for the spell ahead, Morel’s prose animates the setting: Autumn “trotted into the valley on frosty hooves”; “apples blushed red.” Her language is both poetic and deeply rooted in the real world of farm and forest: The deer’s coats are “the color of ash and earth; their ears, the shade of cow’s cream.” The farmyard setting is traditional, but refreshingly, Papa makes dinner while Arabella and Mama do the barn chores. Slightly stylized illustrations emphasize the tale’s timelessness: Some characters sport more modern clothes, while others look fairly old-fashioned. Miroslavova employs soft-edged lines drawn in muted, earthy colors; everything is autumnal. This unusual fall-themed book will attract both rural and urban romantics. Most characters are pale-skinned.

Imagination and the magic of community togetherness join hands.