My 13 year old discovered Redwall last year! I can't wait to share this with him. We had a local dairy that delivered milk in glass gallon jugs when I was a very little girl. I still remember our milk man, and what a kind soul he was.
I never knew the story behind Redwall! I remember trying to read it years ago, but I was so used to modern writing styles that it was hard for me to digest. Now that I’ve read more classics (and found I prefer them) I want to pick up Redwall again and look for all the wonderful descriptions he wrote for the blind children. Thank you for sharing this!
(Reading this article has also made me wish milkmen were still a thing, because that sounds delightful!)
Hi Emma. Brian wrote for the ear and he was reading those stories to children who couldn't see the page, so the prose is slow and thick with description, because it had to do all the work. Read silently and fast, it drags. Read aloud, or read at the pace it asks for, and it comes alive. Coming back to it after the classics, I'm sure you may find it sits much more comfortably.
The milkman was so much part of the community. The only thing was you had to be quick to get your milk in in the summer months, or have him leave the bottles in a cooler, as the milk could turn really quickly.
Hi James. And we do hear stories before with ever read them. Others will argue that listening is not reading, but I don't agree, and in my view you absorb the story more readily from listening than reading. Does he have any other favourites?
My grandparents still live in one of the few areas where milk delivery is still done (in east Idaho), and I can confirm that there it is standard to have a cooler for the fresh milk to be left in
Hi Maxwell. Forgive my ignorance, my perspective is obviously a UK one, but is milk still delivered in recycled milk bottles in that part of the world? I always remember one of our jobs as chldren was to wash up and put out the empties for the milkman to collect.
It is in Idaho Falls! They have a local dairy which does a milk route and collects the empties (or you can bring them in for “store credit” at the dairy, say if you’re popping by for an ice cream). It’s fairly idyllic.
Thank you for your post about Brian Jacques, by the way. I loved Redwall as a kid and still love them now. I think I’ve read all of them at least twice, and the early ones many times more, so my old copies (wherever they are) are well-worn. My favorites were the Long Patrol, Lord Brocktree, and Salamandastron. I loved the badgers in particular, I think — heroic characters with a strong innate sense of right and wrong. Jacques was a light to the world.
Hi Maxwell. Store credit, redeemable as ice cream, now that’s dangerous for those of us that love ice cream.
Heroic characters with a strong innate sense of right and wrong is exactly what we need more of today. Thanks for reading the essay, and I am so glad you enjoyed it. Best wishes and a big wave from Sussex, UK.
I would highly recommend the Redwall series audiobooks as well. I believe Brian Jacques was the narrator with a full cast performing. They're long, which is great for family road trips. And the variety of accents for the different animals are awesome. My kids picked up several accents just from listening to the books :)
Every Sunday evening I watch an episode of the Redwall animated TV show, I think you’ve just convinced me to add a chapter or two of the books to my weekly ritual 🤍 thanks for sharing!
Hi Chloe. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I did not know about the animated TV show, and will have to try and find it. Best wishes from Sussex.
Delightful post, and so interesting! I only discovered Redwall a few years ago. My husband shared it with me and read it to me. It was wonderful! I love reading books, but there’s also something magical and mesmerizing about listening to the stories instead. I could absolutely picture everything in my mind, like you said.
Hi Norma. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. There is something in being read to that reading alone can't quite reach, after all, it’s it's the oldest way we ever receive stories. I wrote about the old BBC series Jackanory and the return of the spoken story a while back, for much the same reason. Best wishes Vincent
Nice! I’d love to read about it. What’s the name of the article? Or if you can drop me the link, that’d be great!
Indeed. I agree. There’s something primal about storytelling. It has been hardwired into humans since the beginning. I don’t think we can imagine our existence without it. Entire communities, cultures, and civilizations have been built around the stories we tell.
Your post about storytelling is absolutely beautiful and so close to my heart. My About page shares similar thoughts and imagery, especially in the intro (if you’re curious to read it): https://awenyddpress.substack.com/about
It is always nice to find a kindred spirit. ☺️
Agreed, reading to a child does make them learn and want to read. My parents read and told me stories all the time. I couldn’t get enough! And I used to carry my books everywhere.
Christ himself was a great storyteller. His parables reached people’s understanding far better than anything. Through his stories he could illustrate greed, compassion, mercy, etc. A picture in your mind is worth more than a thousand words. There is an instant cognitive connection for sure.
By the way, I recently started following this channel on YouTube that you might enjoy. It’s called Falling Down The Rabbit Hole and it’s host showcases his collection of antique fairy tale books from around the world and also narrates some of the stories: https://youtube.com/@fallingdowntherabbithole03?si=mTC-sOOJtbB0UJDT
Hi Norma, many thanks for your wonderful comments and for the Youtube link. What a great channel. Plenty on there to look through now the summer (here in the UK) is at last starting to cool. Some autumn evening viewing I'm sure.
Like you said, it's the magic of the Abbey portrayed through food that sticks with you. I can still remember specific meals that are conjured up in my mind after hearing the term ‘vittles'!
Hi Jay. I love the word vittles. It's one of my favourite words. Spoken as 'wittles' by Abel Magwitch in Great Expectations. Dickens knew what he was doing when he gave a starving man that word.
Thank you for telling this rich history of Redwall. I did not know the story behind. I treasure my editions with the illustrations of Christopher Denise, but will think of the series from a different perspective now.
Thank you for this wonderful story. I didn't know any of that. I read Redwall probably aged 10 after my brother gave the book to me as part of some bribe or other to get me to do something he didn't want to do himself. He did that with quite a few of his books and while he isnt with me now, our sibling currency has very much kept its value. Without the books he gave me, including Redwall, I doubt I would have become an author.
And I still have the milkman come every other day! X
Hi Elin. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. A brother bribing you with books is a wonderful memory and I am so pleased it turned you into a writer. I had no idea you could still get milk delivered. Time I moved to Wales (which I love anyway). Best wishes from a far too hot Sussex.
Funnily enough, I am in Derbyshire still and only part time in Wales...I love having our milk delivered!
Not sure what the milk status is in Wales, but they have two words for it there and the milkman was usually called something like 'Dai Milk' so as you didn't get him confused with some other Dai. I know about four Dais. Though my Dad refused to be Dai and went for Dave instead.
Hi Alex. Thanks for taking the time to read the article. Growing up on Redwall. I cannot think of better inspiration or foundation for becoming a writer. All the best from Sussex.
Love the Redwall series!!! We had to a lot of driving while my kids were growing up and we listened to the audio versions on disc that we got from the library. They are all narrated by a cast of actors and include musical interludes to accompany the feasts. We had so much fun listening to those. They are available on audible and I highly recommend them. It is Radio Theatre at its best.
Hi Ruth. I’m a big fan of audio books and the spoken word, and a musical interludes for the feasts feels exactly right, but I’ve never listened to a full cast version. Another one on my ‘must do list.’ I bet they kept the kids quiet, ideal for long journeys. Thanks for commening and best wishes from Sussex, UK.
Yes, great for long trips. Funny story. One day I’m driving along. From my five year old. “Mommy, Michael, called me a blackgaurd.” Michael, my three year old- “What’s a blackgaurd?”
Priceless. That is the sound of books getting into a family. And you're right that Jacques never lowers the register, he trusts the situation to carry the meaning, which is why it sticks.
Thank you for this article - it has completed a thought on Brian Jacques that has laid unfinished in my mind since 1990. I remember being about 8, its 1990, and the paperback of Redwall was being released in the US. That year Brian Jacques visited our school - it was a small Montessori school in the midwest of America and every classroom read-aloud Redwall in preparation of Jacques' visit. Unfortunately I have to say I didn't take to Redwall at the time, I was more of a Roald Dahl fanatic. But I remember the kindness Jacques emanated during his visit while engaged with students about dioramas they had made. Later in life I revisited the series and had grown away from the sarcastic humor of Dahl and was more appreciative of what glories Jacques provided in his animal world for the young ears of my daughter. His heart is evident in his work and I'm glad he is still as appreciated as when he was first published.
Hi Brittany. Thanks for taking the time to read the article. What a wonderful and treasured memory to have from Brian's school visit. Dahl at eight was not a wrong turn. I was too old for Jacques and was a Dahl fan myself at that age. I always liked Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator the most, but it is over fifty years since I read it, so cannot remember much about it.
My youngest son dearly loved and read all of the Redwall books several times in fact. We had the privilege of meeting Mr. Jacques at our local bookstore before his passing.
Hi Brook. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. What a lovely memory to have. It’s interesting that the books seem to have appealed more to boys than girls. Blessings and best wishes from Sussex, Uk.
My 13 year old discovered Redwall last year! I can't wait to share this with him. We had a local dairy that delivered milk in glass gallon jugs when I was a very little girl. I still remember our milk man, and what a kind soul he was.
Hi Leigh. Everyone knew the milkman, they used to collect the money for the milk from you every week as well.
I never knew the story behind Redwall! I remember trying to read it years ago, but I was so used to modern writing styles that it was hard for me to digest. Now that I’ve read more classics (and found I prefer them) I want to pick up Redwall again and look for all the wonderful descriptions he wrote for the blind children. Thank you for sharing this!
(Reading this article has also made me wish milkmen were still a thing, because that sounds delightful!)
Hi Emma. Brian wrote for the ear and he was reading those stories to children who couldn't see the page, so the prose is slow and thick with description, because it had to do all the work. Read silently and fast, it drags. Read aloud, or read at the pace it asks for, and it comes alive. Coming back to it after the classics, I'm sure you may find it sits much more comfortably.
The milkman was so much part of the community. The only thing was you had to be quick to get your milk in in the summer months, or have him leave the bottles in a cooler, as the milk could turn really quickly.
"writing for the ear" might also be why it was a hit with my dyslexic stepson...
Hi James. And we do hear stories before with ever read them. Others will argue that listening is not reading, but I don't agree, and in my view you absorb the story more readily from listening than reading. Does he have any other favourites?
My grandparents still live in one of the few areas where milk delivery is still done (in east Idaho), and I can confirm that there it is standard to have a cooler for the fresh milk to be left in
Hi Maxwell. Forgive my ignorance, my perspective is obviously a UK one, but is milk still delivered in recycled milk bottles in that part of the world? I always remember one of our jobs as chldren was to wash up and put out the empties for the milkman to collect.
It is in Idaho Falls! They have a local dairy which does a milk route and collects the empties (or you can bring them in for “store credit” at the dairy, say if you’re popping by for an ice cream). It’s fairly idyllic.
Thank you for your post about Brian Jacques, by the way. I loved Redwall as a kid and still love them now. I think I’ve read all of them at least twice, and the early ones many times more, so my old copies (wherever they are) are well-worn. My favorites were the Long Patrol, Lord Brocktree, and Salamandastron. I loved the badgers in particular, I think — heroic characters with a strong innate sense of right and wrong. Jacques was a light to the world.
Hi Maxwell. Store credit, redeemable as ice cream, now that’s dangerous for those of us that love ice cream.
Heroic characters with a strong innate sense of right and wrong is exactly what we need more of today. Thanks for reading the essay, and I am so glad you enjoyed it. Best wishes and a big wave from Sussex, UK.
I would highly recommend the Redwall series audiobooks as well. I believe Brian Jacques was the narrator with a full cast performing. They're long, which is great for family road trips. And the variety of accents for the different animals are awesome. My kids picked up several accents just from listening to the books :)
Hi Kayla. I love audio books and they sound like they are well worth checking out. Thanks for the tip.
thank you for sharing
Hi Tiffany, and thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. Best wishes Vincent.
Every Sunday evening I watch an episode of the Redwall animated TV show, I think you’ve just convinced me to add a chapter or two of the books to my weekly ritual 🤍 thanks for sharing!
Hi Chloe. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I did not know about the animated TV show, and will have to try and find it. Best wishes from Sussex.
Delightful post, and so interesting! I only discovered Redwall a few years ago. My husband shared it with me and read it to me. It was wonderful! I love reading books, but there’s also something magical and mesmerizing about listening to the stories instead. I could absolutely picture everything in my mind, like you said.
Hi Norma. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. There is something in being read to that reading alone can't quite reach, after all, it’s it's the oldest way we ever receive stories. I wrote about the old BBC series Jackanory and the return of the spoken story a while back, for much the same reason. Best wishes Vincent
Hi Vincent! Thanks for the kind reply.
Nice! I’d love to read about it. What’s the name of the article? Or if you can drop me the link, that’d be great!
Indeed. I agree. There’s something primal about storytelling. It has been hardwired into humans since the beginning. I don’t think we can imagine our existence without it. Entire communities, cultures, and civilizations have been built around the stories we tell.
Exactly that. built around the stories we tell. Here's the link. It's in my Care & Craft archive. https://www.careandcraft.uk/p/crumpets-tea-telly-and-jackanory
Your post about storytelling is absolutely beautiful and so close to my heart. My About page shares similar thoughts and imagery, especially in the intro (if you’re curious to read it): https://awenyddpress.substack.com/about
It is always nice to find a kindred spirit. ☺️
Agreed, reading to a child does make them learn and want to read. My parents read and told me stories all the time. I couldn’t get enough! And I used to carry my books everywhere.
Christ himself was a great storyteller. His parables reached people’s understanding far better than anything. Through his stories he could illustrate greed, compassion, mercy, etc. A picture in your mind is worth more than a thousand words. There is an instant cognitive connection for sure.
By the way, I recently started following this channel on YouTube that you might enjoy. It’s called Falling Down The Rabbit Hole and it’s host showcases his collection of antique fairy tale books from around the world and also narrates some of the stories: https://youtube.com/@fallingdowntherabbithole03?si=mTC-sOOJtbB0UJDT
Hi Norma, many thanks for your wonderful comments and for the Youtube link. What a great channel. Plenty on there to look through now the summer (here in the UK) is at last starting to cool. Some autumn evening viewing I'm sure.
This is BEAUTIFUL!!!! I love the Redwall books! I really love hearing how he wrote it! All those pages in a bag…wow!!
Hi Janeen. Apologies for my dreadfully late supply. Somehow I missed your comment. Thank you so much for your kind words. Best wishes Vincent
Like you said, it's the magic of the Abbey portrayed through food that sticks with you. I can still remember specific meals that are conjured up in my mind after hearing the term ‘vittles'!
Hi Jay. I love the word vittles. It's one of my favourite words. Spoken as 'wittles' by Abel Magwitch in Great Expectations. Dickens knew what he was doing when he gave a starving man that word.
Thank you for telling this rich history of Redwall. I did not know the story behind. I treasure my editions with the illustrations of Christopher Denise, but will think of the series from a different perspective now.
You are most welcome. Best wishes and hello from Sussex, UK.
Thank you for this wonderful story. I didn't know any of that. I read Redwall probably aged 10 after my brother gave the book to me as part of some bribe or other to get me to do something he didn't want to do himself. He did that with quite a few of his books and while he isnt with me now, our sibling currency has very much kept its value. Without the books he gave me, including Redwall, I doubt I would have become an author.
And I still have the milkman come every other day! X
Hi Elin. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. A brother bribing you with books is a wonderful memory and I am so pleased it turned you into a writer. I had no idea you could still get milk delivered. Time I moved to Wales (which I love anyway). Best wishes from a far too hot Sussex.
Funnily enough, I am in Derbyshire still and only part time in Wales...I love having our milk delivered!
Not sure what the milk status is in Wales, but they have two words for it there and the milkman was usually called something like 'Dai Milk' so as you didn't get him confused with some other Dai. I know about four Dais. Though my Dad refused to be Dai and went for Dave instead.
Anyway, I daigress...
Have a lovely day! X
About the Dais, love it. I’ve never been to Derbyshire and must visit one day. You have a good day as well.
Great post! Gen Z, and grew up on Redwall. =]
Hi Alex. Thanks for taking the time to read the article. Growing up on Redwall. I cannot think of better inspiration or foundation for becoming a writer. All the best from Sussex.
Fab
Thanks Julie and all the best.
Love this piece!!
Love the Redwall series!!! We had to a lot of driving while my kids were growing up and we listened to the audio versions on disc that we got from the library. They are all narrated by a cast of actors and include musical interludes to accompany the feasts. We had so much fun listening to those. They are available on audible and I highly recommend them. It is Radio Theatre at its best.
Hi Ruth. I’m a big fan of audio books and the spoken word, and a musical interludes for the feasts feels exactly right, but I’ve never listened to a full cast version. Another one on my ‘must do list.’ I bet they kept the kids quiet, ideal for long journeys. Thanks for commening and best wishes from Sussex, UK.
Yes, great for long trips. Funny story. One day I’m driving along. From my five year old. “Mommy, Michael, called me a blackgaurd.” Michael, my three year old- “What’s a blackgaurd?”
That has become a family joke.
Brian Jacques books definitely expanded my children’s vocabulary. He doesn’t dumb things down. Kids learn meanings from context.
Priceless. That is the sound of books getting into a family. And you're right that Jacques never lowers the register, he trusts the situation to carry the meaning, which is why it sticks.
Thank you for this article - it has completed a thought on Brian Jacques that has laid unfinished in my mind since 1990. I remember being about 8, its 1990, and the paperback of Redwall was being released in the US. That year Brian Jacques visited our school - it was a small Montessori school in the midwest of America and every classroom read-aloud Redwall in preparation of Jacques' visit. Unfortunately I have to say I didn't take to Redwall at the time, I was more of a Roald Dahl fanatic. But I remember the kindness Jacques emanated during his visit while engaged with students about dioramas they had made. Later in life I revisited the series and had grown away from the sarcastic humor of Dahl and was more appreciative of what glories Jacques provided in his animal world for the young ears of my daughter. His heart is evident in his work and I'm glad he is still as appreciated as when he was first published.
Hi Brittany. Thanks for taking the time to read the article. What a wonderful and treasured memory to have from Brian's school visit. Dahl at eight was not a wrong turn. I was too old for Jacques and was a Dahl fan myself at that age. I always liked Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator the most, but it is over fifty years since I read it, so cannot remember much about it.
My youngest son dearly loved and read all of the Redwall books several times in fact. We had the privilege of meeting Mr. Jacques at our local bookstore before his passing.
Hi Brook. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. What a lovely memory to have. It’s interesting that the books seem to have appealed more to boys than girls. Blessings and best wishes from Sussex, Uk.
Thank you, Vincent!