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 The Wise Enchanter
Shelley Davidow, Illustrated by Krystyna Emilia Kurzyca
ISBN: 0880105623
Book (Paperback)
Bell Pond Books
7 x 9 ¼
144 pages
November 2005
 'We're trying to get to the castle of the Wise Enchanter,' Michael said. 'It's very difficult.'
'But you have found your way to the Enchanted Islands,' said the
hermit. 'That is the first step, and that is good. I can't tell you which way to go, since I have no idea. You see, very few people have ever reached the castle itself, and no one has been there
since I have been here, but I can tell you one thing: if you keep going straight through the forest, it will end. At the end, there are
two paths. One path is the Right Way. The other is the Left Way. One of these paths is the true way, and will take you where you need to go; but you can only know which is which once you have
gone along the way of your choice for some time.'
'What if the Right way is the wrong way, or the Left way is the right way?' Lauren asked. 'It sounds confusing.'
'Yes, yes, of course it does. But once you?ve done it, everything will be perfectly clear.'
-from The Wise Enchanter
Words are disappearing from the world. Something is lurking in the deepest waters, devouring all the
words that are no longer used. No one has noticed, but the world is slowly growing darker. For many years no children have come to the Enchanted Islands in search of Wisdom, and the Wise Enchanter is
growing old. Four children from the corners of the earth have been sent on a quest to rediscover each
letter, unlock the treasure of language, and thereby grow wise. Time is running out; if the children do not
reach the castle of the Wise Enchanter in time, Wisdom and light may vanish from the world altogether.
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Educational Review By Nancy Parsons at Waldorfbooks.com
I can't begin to describe how much I love this story and the fact that Shelley Davidow has so much
insight and such an understanding of children that she created it. The Wise Enchanter actually makes me wish that I could go back to the time before I learned to read and
enter the magic world of words through this rich and wonderful door. I especially love that the story is so very like the worlds I created for myself in those
pre-written-word days, yet carries with it the assurance that there are depths of goodness in the world and that searching for them is a worthy... necessary thing to do.
What could be a better way to introduce our written language to a child? This book is a beautiful creation and a gift to treasure.
I should add that The Wise Enchanter is filled with soft black-and-white drawings that you can easily
transform into...drawings for the child(ren) you are teaching to recreate as each letter is rescued from darkness.
This is a wonderful, vibrant, masterful book -- may your journey through it be rich and rewarding!
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