The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate Dicamillo (review)

Reviewed by: The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate Dicamillo April Spisak DiCamillo, Kate The Puppets of Spelhorst; illus. by Julie Morstad. Candlewick, 2023 [160p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781536216752 $17.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 2-4 For five puppets—a girl, boy, king, wolf, and owl—an indirect path takes them from toy store to the home of two sisters, but once they arrive, their adventure truly begins. The older sister immediately sees the connection between the five and begins to write a play for them, but the younger sister wreaks havoc, leaving the boy puppet outside on the ground after she is unable to make his bow and arrow work and pulling out some of the teeth of the wolf (a particular shame given that they were the primary source of the wolf's pride). One by one, the puppets are separated, wondering if what befalls them is their fate and if they will ever see each other again. Thankfully, a happier end awaits each of them, and their reunion is a joyful one made all the more meaningful by their time apart. The first of an anticipated trilogy of novellas, this is a quiet story of belonging, family, and destiny. The illustrations do remarkable work in reflecting the blank eyes and fixed features of the puppets while also evoking a strong emotional response to them through subtle choices in their posture, shading, and relative size on the page. While there is a Victorian air to the clothing and language, no specific time period is indicated, an effective authorial choice as the stories of protagonists (puppet or human) on a quest to understand their places in the world are certainly not rooted to a particular era. [End Page 97] Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois