November 2009 Guest Editor Geraldine McCaughrean on Tales of the Early World by TED HUGHES
I’m a sucker for myth, neat or as an ingredient. So I admire Hughes-the-poet, but I adore Hughes-the-writer. Tales of the Early World are pastiche creation myths accounting for species ranging from ants to whales. There’s no guessing where each story is going, the plot lines are so crazy-original. They are funny, sad, clever and (of course) attain poetic heights worthy of Icarus. Ideal to read aloud (and not just to children).
In this collection of tales from the Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes, God appears as an artist who is sometimes surprised by his creatures. He puts an awful lot of care into fashioning the birds, whereas he simply pulls Newt out of the ground. The author's other books for children include "The Iron Man".
