I have no idea how to rate this.

The artwork is lovely. Really beautiful!

The story depressed me. I think the end isn’t supposed to be depressing but I can think of a few interpretations and one of them I find depressing. Not only do I find it depressing but I don’t like it. And it’s the one that makes the most sense too.

When I first noticed this book via GR friend Hilary I was almost certain I have read it as a child. Reading it now I can’t recall anything from it and I don’t think I read anything that dark when I was very young (except Hansel and Gretel maybe) so I doubt I’ve read it before now.

For me right now maybe it wasn’t the right book at the right time because it was too gloomy and sad for me to enjoy the story. I loved the artwork though.

I would not recommend this book to most of the children I know because of its desolate melancholy story. Yes the ending was cheerful and even a tad amusing if you want to make certain interpretations and I think most children would, but there is so much despair throughout until the end.

5 stars for the artwork. Even though well written and effective for enjoyment only 2 stars for the story. 3-1/2 stars from me on this day. I’m glad I read it today and not 55 or 60 years ago. I would have been too sensitive for it then, I think.

Everybody seems to like it much more than I did so go read other reviews!!

Read on Open Library. ( )

Lindgren brings a bit of the sensibility of Northern Europe to this long sad fable - one familiar with Swedish winters will empathize more than readers from sunnier climes. And, yes, comparing it to Hans Christian Andersen (of Denmark) is fair, too - the vibe running through all his tales is present here. I also sense the spirit of Oscar Wilde's [b:The Selfish Giant|677552|The Selfish Giant|Oscar Wilde|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177050253s/677552.jpg|1451285] as I read this.

But it's original, creative, poetic, and moving. And lovely. A sensitive child will adore it. But it should be his or her own magical discovery - reading it because an adult recommended it won't provide for the same experience. The cachet, the magic, is meant to be a private thing. The illustrations and the text fit seamlessly together, making for a book that is much more than the sum of its parts.

My only quibble is at the end, and I think it's just a simple translation glitch or oversight if the children shut the door, what about other children who have yet to find the garden? ( )

Orphaned, afraid and hungry, Anna and Matthew found a farmer who would house and feed them in return for their labor. Sadly, there was an excess of labor, and minimum food in return.

Sadly, each day Anna thinks of death and worries if she will make it through yet one more season of the year. It is bitter cold in the winter, but they long for this season because they can go to school for a few short weeks and escape the farmer.

Bullied in school because of their poverty, they sit together in a corner away from others. Dissappointed because they thought school would provide respite, Anna becomes more melancholy.

When walking through large hedges of snow, they spot a bright red bird. Providing color to a bleak world, the bird leads them to a door in the forest. The door is ajar, and when walking through it they are provided with a rich image of many children playing in the sunshine. Instead of bleakness, they are greeted with children who play with them, and a bright world of color and magically their rags turn to lovely red that matches the outfits of all the happy children.

The world is overseen by a lovely, kind woman called mother who provides food in abundance. Contrasted with the measly crusts of bread they had, now there is food aplenty.

Told that the door must stay open because once it is closed it can never be opened again, after many visits to the magical world, in contrast to the poverty and cruelty of their world with the farmer, they long to never return to greyness.

Looking at one another, both Matthew and Anna close the door so that they can never return to the grey and live happily ever after in the sun. ( )

It is the story about Matthew and Anna, two children living in a farmhouse and are treated very badly. They are looking forward to go to school every winter for a couple of weeks to escape the loneliness, poverty and hard work in the farmhouse. The books main theme is dreaming of something better and is symbolized by a little red bird that tells them where to go. Moreover, the lunch the two kids bring to school every day consists of cold potatoes while all the other children have pancakes or sandwiches. This is a symbol of poverty and kids realize then that there are people having nice lives and without hard work. They have to decide at a very early age if they want to leave their life forever and close the door. And they did. ( )

Two orphan siblings are brought to a farmer where they could work and get food in exchange. But the both of them don't enjoy it at all as the farmer treats them badly and they are not allowed to play like children usually do. Their greatest wish is just to die in order to escape the grey world they live in. But their life completely change when they find a red bird who leads the to a mysterious door in a wall. Behind the door they find the most enjoyable world they have ever seen: it's springtime, and lots of children are playing on the rich green lawns....
A lovely story about the life of two poor children which teaches definitely a lesson on how to appreciate our wealth. ( )