Good Books
A Journey Through a Magic Wood
Ivy F. DeShield, contributing editor
“Know what that is, all around us, Winnie?” said Tuck, his voice low. “Life. Moving, growing, changing, never the same two minutes together...Everything’s a wheel, turning and turning, never stopping. The frogs is part of it, and the bugs...And people. But never the same ones. Always coming in new, always growing and changing, and always moving on. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. That’s the way it is.”
In Natalie Babbitt’s award-winning children’s work, “Tuck Everlasting”, one of the title characters, Angus “Tuck”, husband to Mae Tuck and father to Miles and Jesse Tuck, explains in the latter excerpt the circle or journey of life to the refreshingly romantic, ten-year old female protagonist, Winifred “Winnie” Foster. “Everything’s a wheel,” states Tuck; yet, it has been more than a lifetime since the Tucks have been a part of this so-called wheel or life cycle. For the Tucks alone, whether by the highest of blessings or the most sinister of curses (you decide), the clock has stood still for eighty-seven years. The secret of their blessing-curse lies at the heart of a magical wood, a tiny spring gurgling from the roots of a gigantic, old ash tree that has remained as eerily fixed as the Tucks, themselves.
This delightful literary fantasy, originally published in 1975, still enchants a current generation of young readers and has provided inspiration for film directors on more than one occasion. Babbitt expertly coaxes readers and viewers of the film versions into her charming world where a strange, magic wood and the unforgettable, everlasting Tucks can perfectly co-exist with Winnie’s well-bred, straight-laced family and their “touch-me-not cottage”. It is only when Winnie dares to venture beyond her home’s iron fortress and secure, uneventful society that she discovers a world with no rules—careless, comfortable living that welcomes fully-clothed swims in fresh-water ponds, supper without napkins or utensils, and mice who live in table drawers. The Tuck’s unfettered ways are a breath of fresh air, and their incredible tale of immortality, as well their steadfast loyalty to and love of each other over the many years amid an ever-changing world, impresses Winnie to a fault, and she grows fiercely protective of them. When a stranger threatens to reveal the secret of the family’s peculiar existence, Babbitt’s young heroine finds an unfamiliar courage and strength that later prompts her to make a lasting decision about her own mortality.
In many ways, this adventurous tale is a coming-of-age story as the young Winifred Foster is quickly introduced into the world after contemplating running away from home and escaping the confines of her uninterrupted life. Her journey with the Tuck family is short-lived, but the consequences are dramatic and lasting. Only a few steps beyond her family cottage, Winnie encounters magic, love and the truth about living one’s life full circle, and she is forever changed. Natalie Babbitt handles the weighty subject of life and death tremendously well for young readers. She is a born storyteller who holds the attention from beginning to end, and the modern fable of the everlasting Tucks is a work of pure literary genius and absolutely timeless. Tuck Everlasting. Enjoy the read!
