Tag Hayley Wells

Superheroes In The Park

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Superheroes In The Park
Ian Eagleton and Hayley Wells
Otter-Barry Books

Ian Eagleton and his husband have recently become dads through adoption and Ian has based this text on their experiences of parenting a toddler. Thus, at the heart of the story is an ordinary gay family that we meet as the child narrator, his Dad and Daddy head to the park, the child super excited at the prospect of the playground. When they arrive they discover the path leading to the equipment is covered with ice. For the child this is an opportunity for some fun but the anxious parents see potential danger everywhere and this leads to the child stomping off in tears. Dad and Daddy follow and apologise, Dad whispering, “We’re sorry” and Daddy saying, “This is new for us … For all of us.” How beautifully the emotional outburst and the handling of it are captured in both words and pictures.

The young child’s sheer frustration though, leads to a wonderful idea – imaginative play that is enjoyed by all three who become pirates fighting scary monsters,

cross a swampy area of rainforest with crocodiles snapping at their feet, morph into zooming superheroes and even become dinosaurs. Reality returns with a visit to the park cafe where they sit snuggled together for hot chocolate.

Hayley Wells’ scenes of the day’s events capture the warmth, love and trust there is between the family members and are a wonderful complement for the text Altogether a must have book not only for youngsters who grow up in LGBTQIA homes but all children and their parents/carers at home and in a KS1 classroom.

The More Monster

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The More Monster
Hayley Wells
Pavilion Books

This allegorical tale about greed and over consumption will likely ring alarm bells with many readers.
It’s set on a small island ruled by an enormous monster who has an insatiable appetite for more of everything. To that end he has hundreds of islanders toiling at machines night and day endeavouring to keep pace with his never-ending demands for the new, improved, the latest, most fashionable, must-have things, all of which he gobbles voraciously as soon as his workers have produced them. There’s no end to their labours – or is there?

There comes a day when, seemingly unfazed by those threatened ‘consequences’ for non-fulfilment of the daily quota, one small islander begins to question things. Hurrah! Somebody that thinks for herself and not satisfied with the answers her workmates proffer, is prepared to look for answers to her ‘what if … ?’ question.
Her search takes her to a very scary place – the monster’s innards and therein she discovers something amazing: unbeknown to anyone the greedy monster is a machine.
The answer seeker is overwhelmed by the task of setting things right from within,

the result being a rampaging monster that gobbles all the workers. Is this the end for the islanders?

Happily not, for they possess a wealth of practical knowledge when it comes to machines and from within they successfully pull off a collaborative reprogramming operation.

Thereafter, it’s time for operation repair, a fair redistribution of the monster’s hoard and the creation of a new world order that works for everyone. Total revolution? Hmmm! make sure to look carefully at the final scene.

Hayley Wells’ words and playful visuals work wonderfully well together, the result being a truly thought-provoking book that has much to say to people of all ages.