The Boy Behind the Wardrobe: How C.S. Lewis Grew Up to Create Narnia
bySuzanne Poulter Harris, Mira Miroslavova(Illustrator)
2 out of 5 stars
This picture book gives an overview of Lewis’ childhood and young adulthood and tells about how he was inspired to write The Chronicles of Narnia. We learn about his childhood imagination that created Animal-Land stories along with his brother, Warnie. His mother took him to see ancient ruined castles in Ireland, and he was inspired by classic children’s books written by Beatrix Potter and Edith Nesbit. He would play in a big wardrobe at his grandfather’s house, along with his cousins. But when his mother died, Lewis was sent to boarding school where he was bullied, and his only escape was through stories. He befriended Arthur and finished his schooling with a wise tutor. When Lewis was grown up, he served in the war and wrote poetry in the trenches. But it was at Oxford that he found his true place of belonging and his best friend, Tolkien. All of these things inspired Lewis to write The Chronicles of Narnia.
Except… there is not one mention of the greatest influence and biggest inspiration of Lewis’ entire life – Christ!!! Even in a timeline of Lewis’ life at the back of the book, there is no mention of his conversion to Christianity, the most important event of his life. Ridiculous.
The biggest reason for writing The Chronicles of Narnia is that Lewis wanted to write fantasy for children that would help them to see past the hum-drum Sunday School lessons they already knew and be able to embrace the beauty of Christ.
The entire purpose of Narnia is to point children to Christ! This book really missed the mark. All the information that IS there is great, but they missed the most important thing of all. I don’t know how you can summarize the life of a great Christian apologist like C.S. Lewis and actually make no mention of Christianity at all. It’s like spitting in the face of his entire life’s work.
The artwork is lovely, and every page is so pretty with delicate designs, and little details to look for in the background. Too bad it was wasted on a poorly written story.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.
