Life is hard. Life is beautiful. Life is difficult. Life is wonderful.

Rats have a sense of humor. Rats, in fact think the world is very funny. And they are right, dear reader. They are right.

The Tale of Despereaux came at the request of Luke, my friend's then-eight-year-old son, who asked, "Write for me the story of an unlikely hero with exceptionally large ears."

[He] had the soul of a poet, and because of this, he liked very much to consider questions that had no answers.

We appreciate the complicated and wonderful gifts you give us in each other. And we appreciate the task you put down before us, of loving each other the best we can, even as you love us.

Reader, do you think it is a terrible thing to hope when there is really no reason to hope at all? Or is it (as the soldier said about happiness) something that you might just as well do, since,in the end, it really makes no difference to anyone but you?

The sound of the king's music made Despereaux's soul grow large and light inside of him.