Kate Amedeo

Ellie Little was a mushroom-loving witch who lived in a wooden caravan in the Blue Forest. A hundred and two years and ninety-three days old, she was a talented magic maker, using her own skills and the knowledge to be found in Old Tom, the talking book of spells she had inherited from her grandmother. Hoping to make magical mushroom muffins one day, Ellie heads out into the forest in order to gather the fungi, only to discover upon her return that someone has stolen them from her basket. When the same thing happens on the following day, Ellie sets a trap, discovering that the thief is none other than a baby dragon...

A self-published fantasy short story from British author Kate Amadeo, Ellie and the Mushroom Thief is a title I might never have happened upon, if I hadn't found it on the goodreads list of witchy picture-books. As someone with an interest in such titles (I started the list, many years ago), I sought it out online, only to discover that it is not really a picture-book at all. There are a few line-drawing illustrations - four, to be precise - that look like they were created via a computer program, but that does not a picture-book make. This was a bit of a disappointment, and I can't help but wonder why someone added it to the list. Leaving that issue aside, I was still prepared to enjoy the story, which is a short fourteen pages, and which might make for an engaging bedtime reading session with fantasy-minded young children. Unfortunately, although I think the story idea itself has merit, and I liked certain elements quite a bit - the idea of having a sentient spell-book with a name, and the ability to talk, really tickled me - the text here needed some editing. There were punctuation errors, some incorrect word usage, and overall a style that didn't feel polished. The narrative voice is chatty, and there's nothing wrong with that, but I think this one needs a bit more work, textually speaking. I'd also be interested to see a revised version of Amaedeo's text paired with more accomplished (and more frequent!) artwork.… (plus d'informations)