Once on a Time
A. A. Milne, Bob Neufeld, Spoken Realms
Audiobook
(Spoken Realms, Dec. 29, 2013)
"But you have not read the best one." Milne was especially fond of Once on a Time, which he wrote during WWI. It is one of those "children's books" that children will enjoy almost as much as adults. In that respect, Milne compared it with Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island and The Wind in the Willows. It is a fairy tale about two kings who bluster and stumble into a hilarious non-war, a princess who finds true love in an unexpected place, and a conniving, beautiful Countess whose poetry was stolen by Shelley. The plot is driven by a bent ginger whisker, seven-league boots, two cloaks of darkness, and stiff notes. The characters are three-dimensional; the satire is gentle and wise. There is whimsy in every minute.