J.R.R. TOLKIEN FOR KIDS

A lifeless life of the great philologist and creator of “secondary worlds.”

With eye-dulling granularity Carr turns Tolkien’s story into a recitation of family members and religious conversions, childhood and later experiences of debatable significance, academic colleagues and obscurely named literary clubs, changes of address, and sound-bite quotes. It all passes steadily into and out of view, leaving readers only the very briefest of plot summaries and bare glimpses of the uncommon complexity of his imagined languages and worlds or the immense range of literary and cultural traditions on which he drew. Eschewing nuance of any sort, the author also offers no comments about his sometimes-fustian writing style and likewise leaves the sexist and racist themes in his fantasies unexamined. The illustrations mix more film stills and recent art into the period photos than examples of Tolkien’s own lively paintings or drawings, and the assorted set of enrichment activities runs to such uninviting projects as making mushroom toast or writing a book review. The backmatter also seems catch as catch can, as the lists of resources include audiobooks but no visual media despite all those stills and leave out the separate editions of most of Tolkien’s shorter books.

Unenticing as an invitation to explore either Middle Earth or the mind behind it.