Past Watchful Dragons uses fantasy and fairy tales to make the familiar stories fresh again.
S omewhere in the depths of my parents’ basement is a book of parables retold, and its scenes and moments come to my mind in vivid ways when I least expect it. I don’t think the author would dare to say that he improved the word of God, but he (or she, the name escapes me at the moment) certainly gives a new life to them through the elegant retellings. Yes, they are all easily recognizable as the ones Christ tells in the Gospels, but now the characters have names, and the locations are more defined. Some conversation is added and maybe a tiny backstory — and I loved them all. So imagine my delight when I found a new book of biblical narratives, also retold, this time woven into a tapestry of fairy tale and lore.
Retelling biblical stories is nothing new, but Rose John Sheffler, in her book Past Watchful Dragons, presents age-old tales in an imaginative manner. Word on Fire’s Votive Imprint, which focuses on children’s books, has been on a roll recently, turning out beautiful picture books, cookbooks, and fantasy tales. Past Watchful Dragons is one of these newer publications, and after spying it on a friend’s coffee table, I knew I needed a closer look.
Sheffler has excelled in a very difficult task: She managed to create an imaginative, Tolkien-esque world that didn’t try to be an epic. Her goal? To give “very old truths new clothes to wear, so you might meet them again, as if for the first time.” World-building is in itself difficult, and here the author has set herself the even greater challenge of both building a world and filling it with well-known stories. Or you may think they’re well-known. Each tale, set in the mythical world of Erith, is based on a biblical story. I tried hard not to use the handy cheat sheet in the back of the book and figure out on my own which tale fit with which Bible story, but I was stumped more often than I care to admit.
The book draws heavily on fairy-tale and folklore themes from around the world, and even though Erith is from the writer’s imagination, flavors of Scotland, Japan, Norway, and more drift through the pages. I particularly appreciated Sheffler’s consideration for her readers — fantasy writers often fall too much in love with their own world and fill the story with weird names, lore, and tangled backstories. Not so here. Sheffler knew her goal, and, while some stories were a little too opaque for my liking, she achieved it.
While Sheffler does a lovely job of describing her world to readers, Michelle Carlos’s illustrations bring the whole book to life. Carlos combines traditional watercolor styles with digital design and gives readers stunning visual fare that fits perfectly with each tale. My particular favorite image is from the story of “The Proud Princess and the Reluctant King,” and you can see Carlos’s creative process for that very page right here.
Full disclosure: Some of the tales were a little too mystical for me, and I found them hard to follow. Then again, I tend to love sweeping romances and happy endings, but the real stories upon which Sheffler’s are based aren’t always like that. The point is for us to dig in deeper — to let the truths of these tales settle in our minds, slipping past our preconceived notions and other “watchful dragons” that inhibit our understanding. Sometimes an artist flips her canvas upside down during a project, trying to see it in a different way so she can better understand where to go. This is Sheffler’s method — she’s presenting these Bible stories from a new angle, surprising us and asking us to take another look at God’s word.
The book maintains consistency by keeping all the tales within the confines of Sheffler’s world of Erith, but only one type of character — the Loreman — is seen consistently throughout the book, and not all the stories are completed in a satisfying manner. I don’t mean that they’re missing pieces or are poorly told — far from it. It’s that some of the Bible stories she’s retelling are lengthy, and she uses just one part of the story to help us see something deeper in it. “The Tale of Bjorn and the Four Fleeces” (about the beginnings of King David) is a perfect example of this. Some of the stories, like “The Fox, the Wolf, and the Hound Dog,” are full tales told in one chapter; other tales, like “The Dragon’s Queen,” are moving and sad. That one, focusing on Queen Esther, especially caught my attention and showed me in a new way just how courageous that beautiful lady was.
As the days grow shorter and the weather chills ever so slightly, the urge to reach for a new read-aloud might come upon you. And when it does, Past Watchful Dragons will be waiting.