Redwall Winter's Tale

Redwall

by Brian Jacques

A winter feast fit for Redwall appetites, along with mole clowns, juggling otters, flying squirrels and a hedgehog magician, send the Abbey babes fast asleep. All except Bungo who catches sight of the great Snow Badger - Lord of Wintertide. Packed with songs, rhymes, cheer and stunning full-colour illustrations, this special Redwall storybook is one to treasure.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Picture Books, Young Adult, Animals, Fiction, Christmas

64 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2001

About the author

Brian Jacques (pronounced 'jakes') was born in Liverpool, England on June 15th, 1939. Along with forty percent of the population of Liverpool, his ancestral roots are in Ireland, County Cork to be exact.

Brian grew up in the area around the Liverpool docks, where he attended St. John's School, an inner city school featuring a playground on its roof. At the age of ten, his very first day at St. John's foreshadowed his future career as an author; given an assignment to write a story about animals, he wrote a short story about a bird who cleaned a crocodile's teeth. Brian's teacher could not, and would not believe that a ten year old could write so well. When young Brian refused to falsely say that he had copied the story, he was caned as "a liar". He had always loved to write, but it was only then that he realized he had a talent for it.
He wrote Redwall for the children at the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind in Liverpool, where as a truck driver, he delivered milk. Because of the nature of his first audience, he made his style of writing as descriptive as possible, painting pictures with words so that the schoolchildren could see them in their imaginations. He remained a patron of the school until his death.

Brian lived in Liverpool, where his two grown sons, Marc, a carpenter and bricklayer, and David, a professor of Art and a muralist, still reside. David Jacques' work can be seen in Children's hospitals, soccer stadiums, and trade union offices as far away as Germany, Mexico, and Chile (not to mention Brian's photo featured in most of his books).

Brian also ran a weekly radio show on BBC Radio Merseyside, until October 2006, where he shared his comedy and wit, and played his favourites from the world of opera - he was a veritable expert on The Three Tenors.

When he was wasn't writing, Brian enjoyed walking his dog 'Teddy', a white West Highland Terrier, and completing crossword puzzles. When he found time he read the works of Mario Puzo, Damon Runyon, Richard Condon, Larry McMurty, and P.G. Wodehouse. He was also known to cook an impressive version of his favourite dish, spaghetti and meatballs.

Sadly, Brian passed away on the 5th February 2011.

Reviews

[ReadAlongWithSue ★⋆. ࿐࿔catching up · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a few years old now. 2013 maybe?

But I picked this up in a pound store. The cover caught my eye. I only flicked through it quickly because I recognised the cover.
Thought no more of it until I was unpacking my purchases then I sat to look at this more closely.
The illustrations in this edition are awesome.

They say “ a picture tells a thousand words” it’s definitely true in this instance.

I’m glad I picked it up for only £1

[Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

🦦 🦫🐁 🐿️ An amazing YA series, completely medieval, and utterly devoid of human beings. Just delightful animals (but villains too) who, for the most part, are warrior monastics sans religion. It’s a great deal of fun and enjoyable for adult readers too, especially the medievalists among us ⚔️ 🏰

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh, to be a woodland creature making my home in Redwall Abbey

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is my introduction to Brian Jacques Redwall Abby's tales (soon I hear to be a TV series) and I have to say it was rather enjoyable.

The story - told in party rhyme and part story - tells of the arrival of the traveling troupe of entertainers on the last day of Autumn and the adventures had by all on the first day of winter.

The story is short and rather gentle (compared to some of the tales I have heard of from the series) so take this a rest-bite rather than a reflection of the series (although I still have to explore those books properly).

So for me it was a interesting introduction which I feel does not really reflect the true adventures to come. However it was fun and shows the potential to follow.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

You'd be hard-pressed to find a Brian Jacques story I don't derive pleasure from, especially in his Redwall series. A Redwall Winter's Tale takes us back to the era of Sam the squirrel and Constance Badgermum, Matthias the Warrior and his lovely wife Cornflower. On winter's eve, Redwall Abbey is set to receive a special group of guests: the Thistledown Troupe of performers, ready to bring good cheer to the abbey's creatures as they prepare for the cold months ahead. The celebration will be one to cherish.

Through hearty music, comedic skits, and other merry feats—including a juggling show by otters Oswald and Oriole—the Thistledown Troupe works up an appetite pleasing their audience, in anticipation of the feast ahead. Bungo the mole, a young dibbun, is fascinated by Mighty Bulbrock the badger, who tells the tale of the mythological Snow Badger, said to bring winter every year in his own magical way. Grownup Redwallers smile and pretend to believe, but Bulbrock encourages Bungo to have faith: the Snow Badger is real, and may pay a visit that very night.

Everybeast sleeps peacefully on full bellies and hearts as winter arrives, sweeping across the landscape and coating it with crystalline ice and powdery snow. One dibbun awakens early: Bungo the mole, who claims the next morning to have seen the Snow Badger and had a conversation. Was he merely dreaming? All Bungo has of his encounter is a message written in riddle that may be the key to understanding the Snow Badger's purpose. When you live at Redwall, special moments are a common occurrence.

Other than a mild tug on the heartstrings at the end, A Redwall Winter's Tale is more whimsical than captivating, a short story to complement the long-running series of Redwall novels. Verse and prose often take turns within the narrative, and that can be jarring at times, but I'm grateful for the opportunity to revisit these beloved characters. Never did a children's book series exist quite like Redwall.

[X · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute wintery story set at Redwall. While the characters are the same as from Redwall, it would not be required to have read that first. The story stands alone quite well. At first the alternating prose and poetry was odd, but by the end I had gotten used to it and enjoyed the switch back and forth. The illustrations are darling!

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. What a darling little book! It’s a delightful painting of the Redwall world, with such lovely illustrations and beautiful poetry. The little story was super cute and I loved seeing everyone from Redwall / Mattimeo ! A great addition to the canon. <3

Note: in this story it's the Great White Badger and his hares who send the snow. I don’t personally have a problem with it because obviously these are animals and theology doesn’t apply to them. ;P

[Katie O’Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful way to mark the beginning of winter. Illustrations are amazing!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An annual Huckabay favorite. Our second read through, but it felt new again because it was the first time a couple kids have truly been engaged in the story. I love that anyone can enjoy this tale without having to have read any other Redwall books.

[Nostalgia Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definition of wholesome and cozy. I reread this every Winter Solstice!

2025 edit: As the solstice proper never seems to be particularly cold OR snowy, I'm opting to start reading this on the first COLD or properly snowy day of the year. It's so much cozier and sweeter.

[Evan Hays · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not planning to start reviewing all the books I read to Jackson, but this one was long enough and it really held his attention. I of course adored the Redwall books when I was in late elementary school and middle school, so it was special to me to read this to him in hopes of us reading many more of the full ones together in the future. These books are always fun and charming but always essentially the same, so they probably won't get many five star ratings from me when we eventually get to them, but they're great in their own way: cozy, great accents, food written so well, always a quest with a riddle, and always a compelling bad guy to overcome.

[Freya · Rating 3 out of 5]

review to come :)

[Nighteye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute child book with a lot of cute pictures/drawings highlighting the story and a nice short story inside. Perfect to read for your kid or with your kid :)

[E. Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, cosy story for a cold night.

[Grace J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely charming! The illustrations, the characters, the story--a sweet, cozy read for the end of autumn/beginning of winter!

[Janee Fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m learning that Baby Bungo is a menace. Very cute take about the first snowfall and first day of winter. Also, the illustrations of the winter badger literally made me gasp they were so pretty.

[Akirain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Brian Jacques, so I automatically enjoy anything that has to do with Redwall.
The cover art is beautiful, simple and atmospheric. I still remember how it caught my eye amongst many many other beautifully illustrated covers in the bookshop. One doesn’t have to read the Redwall series to understand the “Winter’s tale”, but knowing the background story certainly adds something special to the experience. The most amazing part of the book for me was the artwork – I had finally glimpsed at how Redwall looks like in Brian Jacque’s eyes. Most of the children I had read this book to spent more time looking at the illustrations than listening to the story (I would agree that text is, sadly, a bit too hard to comprehend for a small child as it is written in an unusual manner).
No matter how old I get, I still want to become a part of those books, to live in Redwall, or at least to visit it one day… I keep on coming back and re-reading those books. After all, as Brian Jacques said: “Please come back someday <…>You are always welcome here!”

[The Bookish Wombat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this in Poundland as the cover illustration of a badger caught my eye - you can probably tell from my username that I'm a touch obsessed with badgers!

What a treat this book is - beautiful colour illustrations and a timeless tale of native British animals preparing for winter with a feast and strolling players. The Snow Badger brings the winter weather, but not everyone believes in him, until one lucky little mole gets a big surprise.

I'd never heard of the Redwall books before, but you don't need to know anything about them to be able to read and enjoy this book.

I think this book will become part of my traditional Christmas reading.

[Mackenzie Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a precious book that will appeal to lifelong fans of Brian Jacques' Redwall series as well as those who are just discovering it. bedtime The mix of prose and poetry works well together, and the illustrations are marvelous. It's a great story to read at bedtime to make you feel all comfy and cozy and ready for sleep.

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 3 out of 5]

This children's book follows the excellent The Great Redwall Feast, but it fails to meet the standard set by the earlier work. It has much of the same bucolic charm, portrays the same joy of life in Redwall Abbey, and introduces a memorable winter spirit in the Snow Badger. Where it fails is the frequent shifting between prose and verse, with no discernible pattern. The Great Redwall Feast was composed of rhyming verse from start to finish and was a poetic achievement; this feels almost like Brian Jacques wrote placeholder text that was never converted to full verse.

Still, if you or your family enjoyed the first book, there is much wonder to share with the abbey residents here again. The illustrations are grand, and the magic of snowfall as experienced by the young (in fact or at heart) is captured beautifully. As a parent, I sometimes take issue with little molebabe Bungo's constant unchecked naughty behavior, and I have to wonder what sort of adult he might grow up to be without any limit setting, but this thinking is not in keeping with the spirit of Redwall so I will "lead with love" and let it pass.

[Jimmy Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian Jacques, with his series of "Redwall" books, wrote about good triumphing over evil, with peaceful mice, badgers, voles, hares, moles, otters and squirrels defeating rats, weasels, ferrets, snakes and stoats. The books largely ignore humans and focus on the animal world - but do not shy away from harsh realities of nature.

A Redwall Winter's Tale is shorter than his usual 350-page works, at 71 pages, and is more of a picture book for younger readers. Beautifully illustrated by Christopher Denise, it shares a poem about the changing seasons and the preparation for celebrating winter, while also describing in narrative form the events around Redwall Abbey as the animals gather to enjoy "Autumn's Final Day." Key to the tale is the coming of Snow Badger, the Lord of Wintertide who, with his Snow Hare, works similar to Jack Frost in covering the land with snow and ice.

"A Redwall Winter's Tale" doesn't just describe the events at the Abbey, and the Snow Badger; it gives you the taste of the feast, the sounds of the choir, the smell of the leaves - and the importance of the changing of the seasons. You're left with a feeling of how critical winter is, to allow all to sleep and revive in time to offer their best for spring. Beautiful, chock full of animals...just flawless.

[Fiona Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a sweet little story about Redwall at winter time. I've never read it before, but I greatly enjoyed it. I think Jacques must have really enjoyed the 'Matthias' era, because in both the illustrated stories and the cookbook, he went back to that. I can't complain, it's my favourite era too.

There's a bunch of fun travelling players performers who show up to Redwall and one convinces a small child there's a magical Snow Badger who will essentially cause ecological chaos if he's seen. Not the most strenuous plot in the world, but it's a fun little story, and Jacques talent for description shines in this book. The travelling player's show, the food and of course the Snow Badger's magic are all very vivid to read about and it made the book a lot more enjoyable to me.

Another little enjoyment for me was in the adorable, and bratty, protagonist Bungo. He's such a little rascal - while everyone else is dreaming about summer, he dreams about stealing sweets and pelting everyone with snowballs. Which, to me, seems much more like a kid. He's definitely a rascal and that makes the book fun too.

[Simon Omnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this second collaboration, Brian Jacques and Christopher Denise continue to give us another short story that happens between the Redwall and the Mattimeo novel.

Once again, Brian Jacques writes another great story where he combines both prose and rhymes to tell us how the last day of autumn and the first day of winter occured at the abbey of Redwall. This involves both a great troop of circus entertainers and a mysterious spirit that comes every winter in the Mossflower land. As in his Great Redwall feast, Jacques offers us another riddle, just as brillantly done and as entertaining to solve.

As for Christopher Denise, his soft pastels illustrations are more gorgeous than ever, and his characters designs just connect well with the Redwall universe. So much that one wish that he continued to work in the rest of the Redwall series, or even interpret certsain scenes of the series in a huge compilation of soft pastels illustrations of Brian Jacques' stories.

To conclude, it is another great piece that enriches the Redwall universe and the culture of its characters.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book in a long time that Greg and I had the chance to read together. Early November was beginning to feel like winter well before the snow fell a few weeks later, and we enjoyed snuggling up on the couch and reading this magical, wintery tale aloud together. Greg grew up reading Redwall stories and *claims* he knows the voices very well. This story does not rely too heavily on the rest of Redwall's lore, and is recommended for anyone looking for a cozy, bucolic read for an evening wrapped up in blankets.

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this little story, but it is a super hard read for an early reader. Words like traversed and haste and bide. Some of it is in rhyme and has ‘‘tis and y’know and t’your. It lends itself to be a beautiful story when read aloud. Early readers will struggle reading independently with words like Hypericum Hadduck Hare. I do love happy lines like “I’m Crochet! I’m Quaver! I’m queenie! the Three Melodious Mice.” I feel the story just leads to being read to a group with lots of theatre 🎭 and drama. Also, I love that there is a fat mole in a jester suit.

[James Zaksek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since having read some books in this series recently, I was glad to see some familiar faces and was also glad to see that the fun in the story captivated me as always. This was an interesting take on the Redwall narrative in that it's not part of the overall plot, but more a side tale within the story. I liked this because the characters were wonderful and the dialogue was excellent. I liked this book for what it was, an enjoyment to be had by all ages.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I was reading this book to myself with my cat curled on my lap, my cat reached out and batted at some of the plump happy mouse illustrations. If that's not the biggest compliment to the illustrator, I don't know what is.

While this book is less gory and way more twee than your average Redwall book, I don't think it's a bad thing. It's good for the soul to look at lushly colored illustrations of talking animals eating at a medieval banquet and giant ethereal badgers descending from the clouds to usher in the first snowfall of winter.

[Samantha Pinazza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una storia deliziosa che segna la fine dell’autunno e l’inizio dell’inverno. Brian Jaques è riuscito a far apprezzare la neve perfino a me e mi ha totalmente affascinata con le sue descrizioni vivide e intense di laghi ghiacciati e lepri che si trasformano in fiocchi di neve. Quanto vorrei partecipare anch’io a uno dei banchetti preparati da fratelli Hugo…

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a pleasant read - lyrical, partly in rhyme. Little Bungo believes in the giant Snow Badger, but the adults don't anymore. After a troupe of travelling players performs and everyone has gone to bed, Bungo wakes early seeking to discover the truth. Amazing illustrations.

[Kelsey Shenk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was precious and a great way to introduce my favorite Redwall world to my son before he will begin his own Redwall journey. I love this world and it’s a perfect winter read. Will definitely add it it our annual “snow season” read aloud book list