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One of the advantages of being a parent is that you get a second chance to become acquainted with great children’s books that you somehow missed during your own childhood. And, when you have six kids you not only get a second chance, but a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, and a ….
Tuck Everlasting, written by Natalie Babbit, is one of those books for me.
My daughter was reading Tuck Everlasting and left it laying on the living room coffee table. I picked it up to do the parently thing (yes, I know “parently” isn’t a word, but it should be) and review the book’s content. I couldn’t put it down until I had read it all. It is rare that one finds such beautiful descriptive prose in a book intended for children. The author’s wonderful use of language combined with mystery and a little magic make Tuck Everlasting and enchanting read.
A family secret, a precocious child, a mysterious traveling stranger, a kidnapping, a prison break, a wedding proposal and a challenging question about mortality and immortality — mix together with beautiful language and you’ve got Tuck Everlasting.
