* Shortlisted for the Tir na n-Og Prize 2020 * Category: Best Children's Book in the English Language with an authentic Welsh Background
I became a storyteller when I moved to Wales, 'The Land of Mist of Magic' as I like to call it. The landscape inspired me and seeped into my bones, along with all the myths, stories, superstitions and folk beliefs I learned over the years I spent there.
I lived in Wales longer than I've lived anywhere. Nearly twenty years, living high in the hills on a hill farm near Hay on Wye. It still sings to my heart, across the miles.
So it is truly wonderful to see this collection of Welsh tales in print, published by top Welsh publisher Gomer.
I became a storyteller when I moved to Wales, 'The Land of Mist of Magic' as I like to call it. The landscape inspired me and seeped into my bones, along with all the myths, stories, superstitions and folk beliefs I learned over the years I spent there.
I lived in Wales longer than I've lived anywhere. Nearly twenty years, living high in the hills on a hill farm near Hay on Wye. It still sings to my heart, across the miles.
So it is truly wonderful to see this collection of Welsh tales in print, published by top Welsh publisher Gomer.
They are not re-tellings of traditional Welsh folk tales. These are all brand-new stories, set in modern Wales, bringing in elements of the mythic, magical landscape of the country.
Because it's true what Megan's dad says in the story MEGAN'S MIDNIGHT MAGIC:
'There's magic everywhere in Wales. The land is soaked with it. This is the land of dragons! They raced through the Valleys, once upon a time. Slept on the hills. Ate sheep by the hundred.
This is the land of Merlin. Now he was magic! And there were giants, and fairy women who came out of lakes and married mortal men. There were princes and princesses. Witches! They came across the sea and landed on Anglesey. I read about it, love! I tell you - this place was a living fairy tale, long ago.'
Magic is never far away in Wales. If you know where it hides, you can find it. Or maybe it will find you...
Dylan finds it when he goes fishing with nothing on the end of his line. The lake he chooses is the home of the legendary llamhighyn y dwr or Welsh water leaper, a fearsome beast with the front of a frog, flapping leathery wings and a long back-end tail with a terrible sting. Ouch!
Pony-loving Rhiannon, named after the horse goddess in the Mabinogion , finds it when she wanders the hills with her two dogs. Darren finds it in the shape of a Wye Valley Back-Backed Hairy Troll! In the snow or in the rain, Welsh magic is ever-present, as all the young heroes in this book discover.
Do you live in Wales? You might find your town in the book! Hay on Wye, Brecon, Merthyr Tydfil and Beddgelert all feature, alongside Pen Y Fan and the Radnorshire hills near Painscastle. Is it possible to find magic even on the A465 Heads of the Valleys road? YES!
Because it's true what Megan's dad says in the story MEGAN'S MIDNIGHT MAGIC:
'There's magic everywhere in Wales. The land is soaked with it. This is the land of dragons! They raced through the Valleys, once upon a time. Slept on the hills. Ate sheep by the hundred.
This is the land of Merlin. Now he was magic! And there were giants, and fairy women who came out of lakes and married mortal men. There were princes and princesses. Witches! They came across the sea and landed on Anglesey. I read about it, love! I tell you - this place was a living fairy tale, long ago.'
Magic is never far away in Wales. If you know where it hides, you can find it. Or maybe it will find you...
Dylan finds it when he goes fishing with nothing on the end of his line. The lake he chooses is the home of the legendary llamhighyn y dwr or Welsh water leaper, a fearsome beast with the front of a frog, flapping leathery wings and a long back-end tail with a terrible sting. Ouch!
Pony-loving Rhiannon, named after the horse goddess in the Mabinogion , finds it when she wanders the hills with her two dogs. Darren finds it in the shape of a Wye Valley Back-Backed Hairy Troll! In the snow or in the rain, Welsh magic is ever-present, as all the young heroes in this book discover.
Do you live in Wales? You might find your town in the book! Hay on Wye, Brecon, Merthyr Tydfil and Beddgelert all feature, alongside Pen Y Fan and the Radnorshire hills near Painscastle. Is it possible to find magic even on the A465 Heads of the Valleys road? YES!
Hay on Wye, the Town of Books.
Setting for the story Never Cross the Bridge After Midnight
Latest Review!
The stories are told with energy and pace, but at enough length to develop character and motive and hold the attention. This book would be an excellent addition to a classroom library.
Wendy Crockett, Gwales
Setting for the story Never Cross the Bridge After Midnight
Latest Review!
The stories are told with energy and pace, but at enough length to develop character and motive and hold the attention. This book would be an excellent addition to a classroom library.
Wendy Crockett, Gwales
