Dear Mili

By Wilhelm Grimm, Maurice Sendak (Illustrator), Ralph Manheim (Translator)

A girl enters the forest to escape war, finding refuge and a surprising passage of time.

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40 pages

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Bookroo's summary

In a newly discovered Grimm tale, a mother sends her daughter, Mili, into the forest to escape war. Mili finds shelter with an old man, serving him for what she believes are three days. In reality, thirty years pass. With the old man's blessing, Mili returns to a world where time has moved on, yet hope for a reunion with her mother remains. This enchanting story, brought to life with Maurice Sendak's stunning illustrations, explores themes of time, sacrifice, and the enduring bond between mother and child.

From the publisher

On September 28, 1983, the discovery of a previously unknown tale by Wilhelm Grimm was reported on the front page of The New York Times. “After more than 150 years,” the Times noted, “Hansel and Gretel, Snow-White, Rumpelstiltskin, and Cinderella will be joined by another Grimm fairy-tale character.” The story of dear Mili was preserved in a letter Wilhelm Grimm wrote to a little girl in 1816, a letter that remained in her family’s possession for over a century and a half. It tells of a mother who sends her daughter into the forest to save her from a terrible war. The child comes upon the hut of an old man, who gives her shelter, and she repays his kindness by serving him faithfully for what she thinks are three days. Actually, thirty years have passed, but Mili has remained safe, and with the old man’s blessing there is still time for a tender reunion with her mother. As for the pictures that interpret Dear Mili_―hailed by _School Library Journal as “gorgeous”―they were a milestone in Maurice Sendak’s career, the work of a master at the height of his powers.

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