The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale

"droll humor and just the right amount of spine-tingling creepiness. . . . Even the most reluctant reader will be eager to keep these pages turning."

Jon Klassen brings his droll humor and just the right amount of spine-tingling creepiness to this retelling of a Tyrolean folktale. The book opens with Otilla, a little girl, running away. We don't know why but that doesn't matter. The focus is squarely on Otilla, alone in the snowy forest, looking desperately for shelter. When she comes to a big house, she isn't deterred by the skull she sees in the window there.

"'Hello,' said Otilla. 'My name is Otilla. I ran away and I need a place to hide and rest.'

The skull was quiet for a moment. Then he said, 'I will come down and let you in, but only if you promise to carry me once I do. I am just a skull and rolling around is difficult for me.'

Otilla was quiet for a moment. Then she said, 'All right.'"

Otilla does as promised and carries the skull on a tour through the house. She admires the grand rooms and learns a bit about the skull's life there, though not too much. The skull remains firmly a skull throughout. In the first room, there's even a painting of the skull (or rather who the skull used to be), but the illustration only reveals the feet.

The dramatic—and creepy—part doesn't come from the skull but from the headless skeleton that chases him every night. Otilla not only fearlessly rescues the skull from the skeleton's bony grip, she makes sure the skeleton will never bother him again.

Young readers will cheer on both Otilla and the skull and will be fascinated by the strange household they end up forming, playing games and even eating pears together. Klassen uses his spare text to great effect and the mostly monochromatic illustrations provide just the right eerie echo. This is a book sure to be read over and over and over again. Even the most reluctant reader will be eager to keep these pages turning.