The Errand
The Errand
written by Leo LaFleur, illustrated by Adam Oehlers
Reviewer:
Crystal Sutherland (MLIS, MEd (Literacy) is the librarian at the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Imagine being chosen to navigate dark, magical woods picking up parcels for an ungrateful, terrifying witch. Written in the second person, The Errand puts the reader in the starring role, avoiding spiders with hundreds of glaring eyes, ensuring you get in and out of the woods before the sleeping giant wakes.
Perfectly placed line breaks create the feeling of panting as the errand runner moves quickly through the woods, watching for danger and signs that things may turn out alright. Without encountering the goddess of the river Nadia, and encountering a spirit of the wood, all hope may have been lost; however, when surrounded by darkness and danger, these two encounters give the errand runner a sense of hope, just enough to keep going and, once the witch has received her package, enough energy to make it to safety until the next time.
Detailed illustrations of the twisted trees, funneled spider webs, and rushing water create a sense of speed and urgency as the main character runs headlong through the forest. With the illustrations moving between solid black, greys, and sepia tones, the play between darkness and light takes the reader from tension and fear to the possibility of hope.
The Errand is a tense, beautiful story of resilience, one that demonstrates that, while you may not know how you got into a tough situation, and no matter how bad things get, you can always find the hope and energy needed to find the way out. Alongside the errand runner, readers will experience his every emotion, including the brief moments of hope and inspired bravery. While readers will also be relieved the errand runner’s adventure had a positive ending, the warning given on the final page of The Errand, “Beware the Warlock of the Mansion on the Hill”, will leave them eager for the next adventure in Volume 2 of the series, The Warlock on the Hill.
Highly Recommended
