“Matthias cut a comical little figure as he wobbled his way along the cloisters, with his large sandals flip-flopping and his tail peeping from beneath the baggy folds of an oversized novice’s habit.” This is how we meet the first character in Redwall by Brian Jacques. Matthias is a mouse, by the way, and also a monk, though he longs to be a warrior.
Redwall was first published in 1986, making this its 40th anniversary. In those 40 years, Brian Jacques wrote more than 20 novels about the inhabitants of Redwall Abbey. It’s become a classic of children’s fantasy novels alongside The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, and The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. It’s regularly cited in the New York Times as one of the best fantasy novels, a fantasy novel to get lost in, and on a reading bucket list. (New York Times articles are free to read with your Fulco Library card!)
The world of Redwall Abbey that Brian Jacques created is populated by mice, rabbits, otters, badgers, foxes, and cats. They go on adventures, act courageously in battle, and most importantly, they eat.
Each book has the creatures partaking in lavish meals, such as this one in Marlfox: “Hot cornbread with hazelnuts and apple baked into it, and a salad of celery, lettuce, shredded carrot, and white button mushrooms, with beakers of hot mint and dandelion tea to wash it down.” If you wish you could also eat some of these meals, never fear! A Redwall cookbook was released in 2005 with recipes you can make at home.
Redwall’s popularity extends even farther! PBS created an animated television series based on the books. The episodes are available to stream via Access Video. It’s been adapted into a graphic novel. A collector’s edition of Redwall comes out next month.
Do you have a favorite Redwall book? A favorite memory from reading them as a child? A meal from one of the books you've always wanted to try?
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