The Magic Wood: A Poem

A mysterious man befriends an unwitting visitor in a nighttime wood filled with hidden danger

Grade 2 -6-- Moser's pictures are an appropriately eerie and evocative match for this poem first published in 1945. The Magic Wood is near a boy's home. ``The wood is full of shining eyes,/ The wood is full of creeping feet,/ The wood is full of tiny cries:/ You must not go to the wood at night!'' Verses that alternate with this refrain describe a man in the woods who shows the boy magic that repels while it fascinates, and the boy is tempted to join him in the world of darkness and mystery . . . until he notices the horror behind the magic. He turns away, and runs back to the safety of home. The poem, with its hypnotic rhythm and understated language, has considerably more artistry than much of the ``scary poetry'' children know, and the underlying theme of temptation and resistance is a substantial one. The artwork, done in ink and transparent watercolor, is another fine example of Moser's skill as an illustrator. He is a master of both color and light, and in this book those elements are used with such delicacy and restraint that they create a perfect mood for the text. Introduce this book to Prelutsky fans, and you'll be giving them a real gift. --Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Pub . Lib . , IL
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

With its macabre images of the slithering, rustling creatures of the forest, this ghost-poem begs to be read aloud--in a slow, menacing voice. A four-line refrain, "The wood is full of shining eyes, / The wood is full of creeping feet, / The wood is full of tiny cries: / You must not go to the wood at night!," syncopates the tale of the narrator's meeting with a "man with eyes of glass / And a finger as curled as the wriggling worm," who becomes even more gruesome and less human as the text progresses. Moser heightens the intensity of Treece's verse (first published in 1945) with dramatic, black-over-blue illustrations in ink and watercolor. The resulting monochromatic effect--a striking departure from the artist's distinctive watercolor portraits--is pierced by multicolored sets of glowing eyes, peering out from the undergrowth. A spine-tingler that transcends the Halloween season--even though its creepiness may prove a bit frightening for those at the lower range of the intended audience. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.