"They looked out over the forest.
"You said you ran away," said
the skull.
"Yes," said Otilla.
"You don't want them to find you."
"No," said Otilla. "I don't."
The skull waited to see if she wanted
to say any more, but she didn't.
"All right," said the skull."
The Skull is based on a Tyrolean folktale I have never encountered. I am happy for that; this retelling by Jon Klassen is my introduction and has become one of my very favorite books this year. I love his version. In an author's note, Jon explains how it came to be.
He begins with Otilla, a young girl running through a dark and snowy night while hearing voices calling her name. She keeps moving on. A fall makes her cry, but ultimately leads her forward. At the edge of the trees, just as the sun is rising, she sees a big, old house. The only occupant is a skull who looks out from an upstairs window.
She tells the skull she needs a place to rest and to hide. The skull offers shelter in exchange for Otilla carrying him, as rolling around is constantly difficult. She agrees, is welcomed inside, and offered a tour of the house, the skull's home for many years. After a tour of its many lovely spaces the two sit for tea in the fireplace room where the skull shares a secret.
A headless skeleton chases the skull every night. He is worried that it won't be long until it catches up with him. Using all the ingenuity that children so often have, Otilla comes up with a plan. She does not share it. The skeleton arrives with its demands. In a terrifying chase, Otilla leads the skeleton to the tower where she pushes it over. Once she has tucked the skull back in bed, she executes the macabre plan she has made. Otilla quietly returns to bed for a lasting, peaceful sleep.
Morning brings warm sunlight to their world, and a promise for a bright future ... together!
Genius!
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