I love children's literature. There's an element of sadness inherent in all good children's books, (for example,
The Mouse and His Child,
Peter Pan,
The Little Prince, even the Oz books), that is not always present in adult literature. good children's books tend to make one fact clear: Life is a bittersweet proposition. You may get to go to Wonderland, but there'll be a lot of pain you'll have to face while you're there.
This bittersweetness is part of why I've become so fond of Eloise McGraw's
The Moorchild.
The Moorchild is the story of Saaski, a half-fairy, half-human child who becomes a "changeling": that is, she is left in exchange for a human couple's child that the fairies steal. Saaski is both fairy and human, and yet also
neither fairy
nor human. Though the book is dedicated to "every child who ever felt different," I do imagine it would hold something of a special resonance for any children whom are of a mixed-race desecendance.
That being said, the fairy folk are not based on any particular race, (thankfully, as they are presented as being thoroughly non-human), while the humans are clearly white Europeans. Saaski deals with obvious prejudice and hatred from the other children, at first, because of her very different appearance, and then later, because of her very different personality. I think anyone who's ever been referred to as "that weird kid" can relate to some of what Saaski goes through.
Saaski has no special skills, no truly impressive magical powers. (The book makes it quite clear that she is very, very bad at "winking out," the fairies' ability to disappear.) She is simply very brave, rather clever, and extremely good at playing the bagpipes. Saaski is also not a particularly perfect little girl; she is stubborn, often selfish, and prone to expressions of deep anger. Nonetheless, as she grows to love her adoptive parents, she also begins to realize the cruelty of the fairies in stealing their child and giving them Saaski. Therefore, Saaski decides to steal the child back from the fairies.
As I said,
The Moorchild has its bittersweet elements. Many of them, in fact. The book doesn't shy away from the fact that raising a child like Saaski is difficult, not only because of the way she is, but also because of the fact that hatred felt towards Saaski is often directed at her parents. Though there is love, (or at least something close to it), between Saaski and her parents, there is also a great deal of pain felt by all of them in trying to keep Saaski. (There is also pain felt in the fact that Saaski
cannot be kept.)
I sincerely hope
The Moorchild is a widely-read book, especially by young girls, as Saaski is an excellent heroine. Saaski is neither perfect nor unlikably flawed, neither ruled by her emotions nor immune to them. Though there is Tam, the boy whom Saaski eventually decides she "belongs" with, (as neither of them seem to belong anywhere), there is no real hint of a romance between the two of them.
I loved The Moorchild because it didn't take the easy route in Saaski's story; she does not gain acceptance from either the fairies or the humans. Instead, she has to forge her own path. I feel the book has a good message for parents, particularly parents of "unique" children, as well. The message, to me, is that no matter how difficult, and how painful, raising that "different" child was, they will leave an indelible mark upon your soul; you will never be the same again. Often, that mark is a painful one, or at least one that leaves a bittersweet feeling, just as
The Moorchild does.
