Frindleswylde
Natalia and Lauren O’Hara
Walker Books

This is the third book by the O’Hara sisters, Natalia who writes and Lauren who illustrates and what utter delight it is.

When Frindleswylde an eerie shapeshifter gains entry to the home of Cora and her Granny he steals the light and thus the house is plunged into darkness.

Cora sets off to try and get back the light so that her Granny is able to find her way home. She journeys beneath the pond to Frindleswylde’s frozen kingdom where she is at his mercy and is made Queen of Winter.

However he agrees to return the light so long as she can complete three Impossible Tasks, either that or remain forever captive in his realm.

Cora is determined to complete the three increasingly difficult tasks but can she succeed? Assuredly the thought of her Granny lost in the woods spurs her on try her utmost to outwit the deceitful captor.

This compelling, multi-layered tale has echoes of classic folk and fairy tales – Rumplestiltskin, The Snow Queen, The Six Servants for instance. Present too are those timeless fairytale themes of good versus evil, the all conquering power of love, a quest, and the loss of innocence.

Both the telling and the illustrations are magical: the former with its rich rhythmic flow of words and the latter, things of exquisite beauty in their own right: together they make for a wondrous read aloud fable that will utterly enchant younger listeners; and its themes will speak to older readers and adults showing that, among other things, we should continue to strive for what is right in today’s troubled world.