FAIRY BOOKS
I have written several books about fairies for younger readers - English and Scottish folktales and a general book about European fairies.
Fairy beliefs are still one of the most popular aspects of British and Irish folklore. I have done a number of 'fairy' talks in schools and found that at least 95% of young children believe in fairies and even claim to have seen them! I also did a 'Fairy' story telling day at the Seven Stories Children's Books Centre in Newcastle some years ago, which attracted a huge crowd of enthusiasts - adults as well as children!
THE WOMAN WHO WENT TO FAIRYLAND
A Welsh folk tale
(Blackie 1992)
Shortlisted for the Federation of Children’s Book Groups’ “Children’s Book Award” 1993
“The magical text creates enchantment” - Federation of Children’s Books Groups’ Pick of the Year top Ten
“exhilarating without ever becoming sentimental” - Books for your Children
This is a simple story motif, once well known throughout the UK, about an old woman who is abducted by a fairy king and taken into Fairyland to act as midwife to his fairy wife. It’s delightfully illustrated by Honey de Lacy.
THE ENCHANTED FOREST
(A Scottish folk tale)
(Frances Lincoln 1999, 2000)
(co-editions in Australia, Denmark and Korea)
“presents the story as a drama, a conflict unfolding between the human and supernatural forces in the heart of the enchanted forest” - School Librarian
“an inspirational reworking of the story” - Glasgow Herald
“plain and resonant prose… a book you will want to return to again and again” - Carousel
A retelling of the old ballad of Tam Lin - about a young man enslaved by a fairy queen and a girl who rescues him. Strikingly illustrated by Alan Marks.
THE FAIRY SPOTTER'S HANDBOOK
(Frances Lincoln 2003)
A book of fairy folklore from all over Europe with lots of stories briefly told, brilliantly illustrated by Wayne Anderson
“Full of delightful fairy facts and tales...based on authentic folklore and folk tales...A truly enchanting book for children of a wide age-range... a useful resource in any classroom” - www.justimaginestorycentre.co.uk