Best-selling author Alex Bell selects her favourite books featuring magical creatures, from fairies to talking carrots.
Wed Wabbit by Lissa Evans
A laugh-out-loud book full of heart. It sees 10-year-old Fidge travel to a land of magical creatures, from Wimbley Woos to talking carrots and the Wed Wabbit himself, a stuffed toy, who comes to life as an evil tyrant.
The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton’s famous series about a group of children who discover that a magic tree takes them to fantasy lands. The main characters make friends with Moonface and Silky the fairy, and there are pixies and gnomes galore.
Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones
I loved this original tale about a girl called Sophie working in an enchanted moving castle belonging to a wizard named Howl. From fire demons to the sinister Witch of the Waste, there are magical creatures aplenty.
Gobbolino, the Witch’s Cat by Ursula Moray Williams
This charming book tells the story of Gobbolino – a black kitten with one white paw from where it was bathed in moonlight. He has the magic powers of a witch’s cat but wants nothing more than to be an ordinary farm kitten.
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
I’m a huge fan of the Discworld series and this is a fantastic story for younger readers. We see nine-year-old Tiffany coming face-to-face with river-dwelling monsters, villainous fairy queens and, of course, the rowdy blue-skinned Nac Mac Feegle.
