Tales from the magic forest by Pat Clarke

A whimsical collection of short stories in a small hard-cover book about an imaginative young girl called Hannah who lived with her parents in a log cabin in the middle of the Goonoo Forest. It features stories that explore the feelings of a young child that has just experienced the birth of a sibling.  This is often a tricky time when parents are busy with a new baby, so Hannah must find ways to play alone. Fairy rings and mythical creatures of the forest are a feature of these stories and children will enjoy a new set of fairies, elves, giant creatures and talking birds and animals that populate them in Hannah’s world.  The beautiful black and white illustrations by Graeme Compton complement the stories and bring to life the unusual creatures in each story for the reader. Most of the books Pat Clarke has written feature the Goonoo Forest near Dubbo in NSW or animals and birds that inhabit the forest. The magic forest of Goonoo, In search of the Goonoobee, and Howie the Yowie, are some and others are listed in the back of this book.

Themes: Forests, Magic, Fairies, Short stories.

Gabrielle Anderson