As grim as it is seemingly inspired by the Grimm brothers, Greder’s stark text and even starker illustrations tell the simple story of an over-protected child.  When her husband is killed in a war, a mother takes her son deep into the woods to create a safe, isolated world for him.  When she dies, the boy carries the bones of his dead mother out into the world in an attempt to find his own fortune.  While the story is powerful and the bleak charcoal illustrations set the tone for the narrative, the audience for this book is unclear.  The text is easy but disturbing, and the scary illustrations make this book more suited to adult and teen lovers of gruesome fairy tales rather than children.  Overall, it is a well done book, but its place in a collection of children’s materials is unclear.