Welcome to another edition of Redwall Collectors Community. Today, we take a look at The Hutchinson Treasury of Children's Literature.
Published in 1995 by Hutchinsons Children's Books, the Treasury features excerpts from "nursery rhymes, short stories, fables, and fairy tales."
It also contains extracts from classic works of literature and contemporary authors, many of which are accompanied by artwork and illustrations.
Edited by Alison Sage, and with a foreword by Quentin Blake, this 10.5 in. H by 8 in. W hardback, enclosed in a nice dust jacket, is a lovely book.
I know for certain, if I was a young reader who had received this, I would have vigorously read it cover-to-cover.
Redwall by Brian Jacques is one of the many titles featured within, under the "Extracts from Older Fiction & Poems" category. Also in this section, two of Brian's favorite works are listed: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Pete Lyon's back cover artwork appears in the Treasury's contents, while Redwall itself is much later in the book, on page 470. It's here where things get interesting.
You might think that "excerpt" means the opening chapter of Redwall, however the excerpt is actually the entirety of Chapter 10, where Cluny the Scourge first meets the residents of Redwall Abbey! I suppose that's a different way to hook a reader. The opening words are illustrated by Pete Lyon's UK front cover artwork.
Overall, I found The Hutchinson Treasury of Children's Literature to be a wonderful collection of children's literature.
If you're interested in a more in-depth look at it as a whole, we recommend this YouTube video.
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