Lola and Larch : Fix a Fairy Forest
Sinéad O’Hart, illustrated by Rachel Seago
Nosy Crow

Lola’s mum is a forest ranger and during the working day she and her little brother Noah are often looked after my Grandma. One stormy night on the way home from Gran’s in Mum’s car, something causes Mum to brake suddenly, something that looks like a rabbit but has a kind of shine to it. They take the little thing home to care for it overnight and the following morning the rabbit isn’t in the cage, instead there’s a tiny fairy wearing a rainbow pendant … a tree fairy, albeit with mixed up magic, and she urgently wants to get back home. This sometimes rabbit, sometimes fairy tells Lola that she’s called Larch Mugwort, she’s lost and must protect the other fairies from Euphorbia Spurge, the “baddest fairy in the forest”. Larch is also a bit of a rebel and having seen a strange dark thing the previous night in the forest, suspects it’s something malevolent to do with Euphorbia. Meanwhile Lola’s mum has started putting up ‘FOUND’ posters of a rabbit in the hope of finding Larch’s owner.

Next day Lola takes Larch to school in her bag and it will come as no surprise that at her teacher’s behest, Lola’s Gran comes and collects the creature; the problem is she arrives with a strange woman who claims that Larch belongs to her.

Lola has to think quickly to avoid having to give up Larch and once they’re back at Gran’s, Larch tells Lola that the stranger was in fact Euphorbia Spurge.

There follows a lot of shape changing, the marching of a beetle army, a pitting of wits, a coming together of fairies, a confrontation between Euphorbia and King Ash (Larch’s father) and more. However all ends satisfyingly with a declaration by Larch about being different and a final picnic.

With friendship and magic aplenty, this is funny, sweet and a great start to a new series for younger readers. Rachel Seago’s plentiful black and white illustrations are a quirky delight and help break up the text for the less confident. Anyone for pancakes?