Illustrated book series by Seend Cleave vet-turned-author

The Whimsy Wood series, written by local author Sarah Hill and illustrated by Sarah Mauchline, is a series of 35 children’s books aimed at five – eight year olds. 

The first set of stories all star Posie Pixie, a sweet little pixie known for her forgetfulness. The series aims to encourage children to interact with nature, and 10% of profits will be donated to The Wildlife Trusts, a UK organisation dedicated to protecting wildlife.

In ‘Posie Pixie and the Lost Matchbox’, the second book in the series, young readers will meet a selection of small furry creatures who are bound to delight them.

The author, Sarah Hill, is a veterinarian, so it is fitting that the focus of her books should be the animals of Whimsy Wood, a magical place inspired by the forests near the author’s home in Seend Cleeve.

As part of Sarah’s attempt to encourage children to care for their local environments, each story contains part of a map of Whimsy Wood which can be pieced together as more stories are read; children are also encouraged to expand the map themselves, using local outdoor areas – as well as their own imagination – as inspiration.

Aside from promoting an engagement with nature, each story in the series contains a proverb, reinforcing a positive, moral message for parents to teach through the book. For The Lost Matchbox, ‘waste not want not’ wraps up a wonderful bedtime story that wistfully carries parent and child into the wonderful world of reading.

Following a recent book launch at Devizes Books earlier this month, they now have copies of ‘Posie Pixie And The Lost Matchbox’ and book 1, ‘Posie Pixie And The Copper Kettle’, on their shelves.

Alternatively, the books (published by Abela Publishing, RRP £5.99 paperback) can be purchased via Amazon and Waterstones websites or the publisher’s which is www.abelapub lishing.com