The Enchanted Wood: 

A Perfect Place to Escape to After the Bustle of a Busy Day!

The Enchanted Wood is one of Enid Blyton's most memorable and truly imaginative stories, capturing a world where almost anything can happen if you just believe in the magic of nature and its creatures.

Many moms will have fond memories of discovering the world of The Enchanted Wood. There was the delightfully gentle Silky the Fairy, the wonderfully jolly Moon-Face the truly bizzare Saucepan man covered in clanking pots and pans, who along with a host of other strange and mysterious folk, live among the branches of The Magic Faraway Tree.

I must admit, I was a little jealous of Jo Bess and Fanny when they discovered that they had all of this wonderment and adventure right on their doorstep. What child wouldn’t be envious of visits to the Land of Presents, the Land of Goodies or the Land of Do-as-you-Please! Then of course, there are all the delicious treats made by Moon Face and Silky….Google Buns and tea, Toffee Shocks and Pop biscuits oozing with honey. And after all of that, they still get to ride down to the bottom of the tree on the Slippery-Slip!

In the updated version of the Enchanted Wood, some of the more old- fashioned names have been changed to suit modern childrens’ perceptions. Fanny’s name has been changed to Fran and Bess is now Beth and of course, cousin Dick is now Rick. The new illustrations are less attractive but the original story has been preserved in its entirety and I still found myself being swept away into the magical lands, along with my two children, who could not wait for story-time every night so we could find out what was in store for the folk of the Faraway Tree.

All of the books in the The Faraway Series are available at www.imagikids.co.za
Happy Reading :)

Authors Who Rock : Michael Morpurgo

From Vital Imaginings and Inspired Daydreams, 

Great Stories are Born…

Michael Morpurgo is one of those authors who writes with such clarity and lyrical beauty that his words seem to reach out and pull you in so far, that you can almost feel, taste and smell the world that he his telling you about. 

This gifted man grew up in England and started his career off as a Primary School teacher. It was while reading to his pupils everyday, that he began to make up his own stories which the children found far more captivating than the mundane books provided by the school. He quickly realised that storytelling was magical for him and was definitely his true calling.

Today, Michael lives with his devoted wife Claire and a whacky Cockerel called George who just loves to scratch up all the flowers in their garden. Michael is barred writing at home as he loves to write on his bed, propped up by pillows with his notepad on his knees and has stained one too many sheets with ink and sandy footprints. So with Claire’s help, he has built his own storyteller’s hideaway in the country, where he now immerses himself in his story writing.

Michael stokes up inspiration for his stories by keeping his eyes and ears open and his heart fresh. He draws from the children in his life, people and places, history, listening to Mozart and he spends a lot of time daydreaming while he works on his farm. 

“For me, the greater part of writing is daydreaming, dreaming the dream of my story until it hatches out. The writing down of it, I always find hard. But I love finishing it, then holding the book in my hand and sharing my dream with my readers,” says Michael.

Michael was chosen as Children’s Laureate (Distinguished Children’s Author) from 2003 until 2006 and has written over 100 books, among which his favourites are Butterfly Lion, War Horse and Private Peaceful. You can get all of these books at www.imagikids.co.za along with a host of other hugely successful books written by this legendry children’s author.

Recommended Books :

Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea

Butterfly Lion

War Horse

Kaspar

Running Wild

Kensuke’s Kingdom

Dancing Bear

Private Peaceful

Shadow (Latest Release)

Happy Reading : )