William Faulkner wrote one children's book. Never intended for publication, it found its way into print following his death. It fits the fantasy genre. Dulcie awoke on her birthday to find a red-headed boy in her room. She soon goes on a journey with neighbors to find the wishing tree. This one encourages children to make unselfish wishes. Saint Francis of Assisi makes an appearance. While Faulkner's fans will probably enjoy this tale, its language dates it, losing its appeal to twenty-first century young readers. ( )

It's definitely Faulkner and definitely not PC. Yet, this quirky quick read delivers moral lessons for young readers. Given that it was written back in 1927, I can't fault Faulkner's use of southern dialect in the voices of two characters, but it doesn't play too well in today's sensitive world.

I enjoyed the journey and the moral lessons contained therein. ( )

Like Mayday (1925) this children's fantasy that Faulkner wrote in 1927 shows the influence of James Branch Cabell. Maurice, the "strange red-haired boy" who leads Dulcie through her dream-adventure, is reminiscent of Cabell's Horvendile, the red-haired youth who manipulates the plots of several Cabell novels; then there is Dulcie's window which shows different worlds depending on whether one looks through the pane or through the open casement, like the similar window in Figures of Earth; and finally Maurice's statement that magical things are occurring because "anything is likely to happen on birthdays" echoes the trope in Jurgen about another special date, Walburga's Eve, "when almost anything is rather more than likely to happen." Taken separately these might be coincidences but in view of the Cabell-drenched Mayday and the acknowledged influence of Cabell on Faulkner in the mid-20s (in Soldier's Pay and elsewhere) it seems clear to me that we have here a bit more Cabell bleed-through -- and where more appropriately than in a fantasy story?

It is also interesting how the children in this family are distinctly reminiscent (or preminiscent) of the Compson children in The Sound and the Fury, although they lack a Benjy-figure -- but wait! in early drafts of The Sound and the Fury Benjy's name was originally Maurice... hmm... ( )

Not the greatest children's book I've ever read. Had some intriguing elements and a couple finely drawn characters, but it was just a series of dream incidents that didn't seem to lead anywhere. Illustrations are the best part. I won't fault the great man for what he clearly never intended to be published; this was a gift to the child of a woman he loved and -- for the time -- could not have.