The Wild Swans and East of the Sun, West of the Moon are beautiful and lyrical extended versions of two fairy tales, complete with delicate watercolour paintings throughout.
The Wild Swans is a beautiful and lyrical extended version of the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, complete with delicate watercolour paintings throughout.
A girl loses her brothers when they are turned into swans by her wicked stepmother. She has a task, to turn them back into boys again. But the task is complicated. She must pick nettles with her bare hands, stamp on them to make yarn and spin and knit the yarn into shirts for each of the eleven brothers. And all the while she knits she cannot speak, for if she does, even so much as a whisper, it will be like a knife in the heart of each swan boy.
And so she knits, silent. And where there is silence people will put words.
This is a book about communication, how to listen, about how we hear what we wish to hear.
"From the moment she saw him, the girl knew the bear had come for her. How many times had she dreamt of him? Now, here he was, as if spelled from her dreams."
This encounter marks the beginning of a long and extraordinary journey for the girl. First to the bear's secret palace in faraway mountains, where she is treated so courteously, though troubled by the bear's unfathomable sadness.
As the bear's secret unravels, another journey unfolds, which takes her to the homes of the four winds and beyond, to the castle east of the sun, west of the moon.
Acclaimed writer and artist Jackie Morris retells this classic Norwegian fairy tale - a mysterious story of love, loyalty and freedom - in a captivating picture book.
Extent: 180 pages
UK Publisher: Unbound (October 2021)
UK Editor: John Mitchinson
Primary Agent: Jessica Woollard
Film/TV Rights: DHA (Georgie Smith)
Rights Sold: All rights available
Co-agents: Chinese - Andrew Nurnberg Associates; Japanese - Japan Uni
Jackie Morris is an author and illustrator. She studied illustration at Hereford College of Art and Bath Academy and has illustrated many books and written some. In 2019 she won the Kate Greenaway Medal for the bestselling, critically acclaimed modern classic, The Lost Words, co-authored with Robert Macfarlane. It was also a Sunday Times Bestseller, Winner of The Beautiful Book Award 2017, and Shortlisted For The Wainwright Prize For Nature Writing 2018.
<aside> 🦉 “Jackie's work is far more than just flawless wildlife painting. She captures the soul of her creatures – hares, otters, foxes, bears – revealing their true natures, and allowing us a rare glimpse into a world of magic.” – Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat
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The Wild Swans _ Jackie Morris (1).mp4