Award-Winning Children’s Series Author Sarah Hill Takes Us Deeper Into the Whimsical Wood

Feeding children’s imagination is one of the important things that books do. Allowing our children to relive the lives of the literary heroes is one of the most important things we can do as parents. Encouraging a child’s interest in books, taking them to the library, bringing their attention to illustrations and weaving it all into a story that can be interpreted in the mind of a little genius – this is one of the prominent tasks we were planted on the earth to do.

Children who grow up with books and a late-night story with their favorite characters store up a powerful basin of positive reinforcements and solid self-esteem. They express their feelings better and communicate their joys and problems better. And when it comes to building relationships, again, these book-worms do it at a higher and more successful level.

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It brings us to an old axiom: Books Make Us A Better Person.

From a million of choices that are out there, today, we choose a magical book series by Sarah Hill lovingly titled ‘Whimsy Wood Series.’ Sarah has opened up her own world and life for us to understand where all these magical characters sprang out from! 

After you’ve read it, check out these books in your store or on Amazon, and bring them as the ultimate gift of love and care to your children.

How do you dream up your books, characters, settings?

Well in truth, I didn’t purposefully mean to create ‘Whimsy Wood’ and all its enchanting characters. It rather happened all by itself!

I actually went to Bristol University here in England to study Veterinary Medicine and I qualified as a Vet from there in 1999. I then worked in practice for 10 years and at that point our second daughter was born. My husband was traveling overseas quite a lot with work then and so I decided to take a career break to stay at home and raise our very young girls.

Within 6 months of being at home, ‘Posie Pixie’, the main character in my first 7 Whimsy Wood books, appeared in my head and she wouldn’t go away. She’s terribly persistent, you see, so I really had no other choice but to start writing about her adventures in Whimsy Wood.

As a child, I used to read a lot of Enid Blyton’s ‘Faraway Tree’ books and the ‘Brambly Hedge’ series by Jill Barklem, and we also go on daily dog-walks in the beautiful countryside, where we live in Wiltshire, England. I’m sure these factors have been a huge part in my subconscious creating ‘Whimsy Wood’.

As for the woodland characters’ names, well, I like alliteration, so the names tend to reflect this. For example, Posie Pixie, Raspberry Rabbit, Wibble Woodlouse. I had no doubt over hers or Raspberry’s names. Wibble I was initially unsure of, so I asked my oldest daughter Olivia. I gave her a choice of ‘Wibble’ or ‘Willow’ for Posie’s Woodlouse best friend and Olivia immediately decided on ‘Wibble’. So that was that!

What are the values you most treasure in people and how does it reflect in your books for children?

For me, honesty, kindness and a willingness to help anybody and anything are wonderful values. All of my Whimsy Wood characters have at least one of these traits; and in each whimsical book, there is a lesson, proverb, or well known saying woven subtly into the story.

Do you have your favorite character in the Whimsy Wood series? Or do you love them all?

I absolutely love all of my Whimsy Wood characters, so I couldn’t possibly choose a favorite! They have become as close and special as my own family. In fact, I see many similar character traits between my whimsical cast and my family and friends.

What kind of impact would you like to see in children and their families when they read the Whimsy Woods books?

I would be delighted if their imaginations were ignited and they wanted to engage more with nature, after reading a ‘Whimsy Wood’ book.

Any sneak peak of your next project you are dreaming up for us?

‘Fearne Fairy And The Dandelion Clocks’ is the next Whimsy Wood book, which is due to be released on March the 19th!
This book is written for the marvelous month of March and in woodlands here in the UK, there are many fabulous flowers that are emerging at this time: daffodils, primroses, white wood anemones and dandelions for example.

You’ll find all these mentioned in the story and illustrations of ‘Fearne Fairy And The Dandelion Clocks’. It was mine and my children’s love for blowing these delicate, almost magical dandelion clocks, that gave me the inspiration and indeed the title for this 8th Whimsy Wood children’s book.

You’ll meet Raspberry Rabbit, Bertie and Beatrice Bunny as well as Fearne Fairy and these delightful woodland folk, will take you on an exciting adventure, where sharing and teamwork play a crucial role in solving Fearne’s dilemma. As for what her dilemma actually is, well, I couldn’t possibly say! You’ll just have to read ‘Fearne Fairy And The Dandelion Clocks’ to find out!