Good evening.

This is Inside the Cover and I am your host Ted Ayres.

Tonights show is quite special to me and it is so very special because it directly results from an email from one of our viewers.

We recently received the following communication from seventh grader Elena.

As I wrote to her in reply, I was simply thrilled to have her recommendations.

So join Elena and me as we now go Inside the Cover.

In my message to Elena, I shared with her that Black Beauty by Anna Sewell has always been a special book to me.

It was one of the first if not the first books I checked out of the public library of my small hometown in northwest Missour with my very own library card.

However ol I might have been at the time, I was simply amazed and overjoyed to learn where that small piece of cardboard could take me.

And perhaps in granting a lifetime love of books and reading?

Anna Sewell spent the last seven or eight years of her life confined to her hous in England as an invalid writing Black Beauty.

The book is a fictional autobiography of a gentle hybrid horse.

It was Sewell's only novel, and it was meant to promote the humane treatment of horses by exposing the sometimes harsh treatment and working conditions of horses during that time.

Originally published on November 24, 1877, it has continuously been in print and translated into multiple languages.

On the other hand, while I was familiar with her work, I was not aware of Kate DiCamillo, The Tale of Despereaux.

I had read Because of Winn-Dixie, and I really enjoyed it.

DiCamillo has published over 25 novels and her books have sold around 37 million copies.

This is a wonderfully charmin book and a delightful stimulus to one's imagination, regardless of age.

The initial lines of the book are as follows.

“This story begins within the walls of a castle with the birth of a mouse, a small mouse, the last mouse born to his parents and the only one of his litter to be born alive.” That wee mouse was named Despereaux Tilling.

Despereaux was a mouse in love with music stories and a princess named Pea.

As you can see, he was quite the remarkable mouse.

It is also the story of a rat named Roscuro who lives in darkness that covets a world filled with light.

And it is a story of Miggery Sow, a slow witted serving gir with a simple, impossible wish.

Throughout the book, DiCamillo communicates directly with her readers, encouraging them to use a dictionar to define such words as perfidy, ado, pretentious, empathy and renounce.

She also provides her reader with important insights on life, and I would suggest insights regardless of age.

These include: Reader, you must know that an interesting fate awaits almost everyone, mouse or man who does not conform.

Love is ridiculous, but love is also wonderful and powerful.

Every action, reader, no matter how small, has a consequence.

Reader, nothing is sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name.

Tonight's book has been The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo.

This was a fun read by a talented writer.

And while intended for younger readers, I think it should resonate with readers of all ages.

And by the way, DiCamillos next novel Ferris was published on March 5, 2024.

Thanks again, Elena.

Keep reading and keep watching.

PBS Kansas and Inside the Cover.

Goodnight and see you next time.