The Sapling January 17, 2018

THE SAMPLING: One House for All & Witchfairy

By Inese Zandere and Juris Petraškevičs & Brigitte Minne and Carll Cneut

Witchfairy is a gloriously illustrated celebration of a girl who doesn’t want to be what she was born to be: with her mum’s support she straddles two worlds. Both extracts are copyright Book Island, November 2017.

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One House for All, by Inese Zandere, illustrated by Juris Petraškevičs (Book Island)

Raven, Crayfish and Horse have always been best friends. They’re grown up now and would like to start a family. They want all their families to live together and start planning to build a house. But what should that house look like? Will they find a solution that works for all of them?

Once upon a time, three good friends – Raven, Crayfish and Horse – came together under a tall tree in a green meadow on the bank of a river. All three were now grown-up and wanted to get married, but they also wanted to remain close.
The next to take the stick was Horse. 'It should have a large, green living room with juicy grass, at least three acres big,' Horse said as he drew.
'My wife and children won't be able to fly to the bedroom,' Horse realised.
'Does this mean we shouldn't get married at all?' Crayfish wondered. 'Maybe we shouldn't get marreid at all!' Raven exclaimed. '...not get married at all...' said Horse thoughtfully.
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Witchfairy, by Brigitte Minne, illustrated by Carll Cneut

Rosemary is bored of being a fairy. She’d much rather be a witch. Much to the disapproval of her mother she takes off to spend time with the witches in the dark wood. Rosemary thoroughly enjoys her new life as a witch but eventually decides to take the best of both worlds and becomes a witchfairy.

'What if you fall and have a nosebleed?' her mum said. 'Ugh, how awful! A fairy with a nosebleed! Can you imagine?' Another present that Rosemary would have liked was a boat. 'But what if you go tumbling into the water?' her mum said with a sigh. 'Then your dress will get all dirty and your hat will be a mess. No, no. no.'
But her mum was wrong. The witches' wood was the perfect place for Rosemary. She built a treehouse there. And a boat. She picked berries and nibbled on nuts.
Rosemary jumped onto her broomstick and zoomed back to the castle in the air with the golden turrets. 'Hi, Mum!' she yelled. 'Look what I can do!' Her mum gasped. 'Rosemary, come here this instant!' she shouted. Rosemary laughed as she landed neatly on a cloud. 'This is so much fun, Mum,' she said. 'The witches taught me how to fly. And I sailed down the stream and built a treehouse! The witches' wood is such a wonderful place,' she said. 'A wonderful place? Hmph! It's a bath for you, my girl. And right away!' her mum said. 'Look at the state of you. And you stink to high heaven.' 'Witches stink. That's just the way things are,' Rosemary replied. 'I don't want a stinking witch for a daughter,' her mum barked.
And that's how it is. Sometimes Rosemary is a fairy. Then she wears a party dress and waves her wand around. Then she sleeps in the castle in the air with the golden turrets. And sometimes Rosemary is a witch. Then she lives in the wood and flies on her broomstick. When Rosemary is a witch, her mum comes to stay with her in the treehouse. Rosemary's pleased – and her mum's pleased too. Rosemary isn't a real fairy and she's not a real witch either. She's a witchfairy – and a very happy one!
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One House For All

By Inese Zandere

Published by Book Island Limited

RRP $29.99

Buy now

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Witchfairy

By Brigitte Minne & Carll Cneut

Published by Book Island Limited

RRP $29.99

Buy now

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