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British artist Charlie Mackesy’s illustrations, commissioned before he gained acclaim for his best-selling 2019 book, will feature in the debut author’s collection of forest stories.
Tales From Muggleswick Wood: A Magical Bedtime Treasury by Vicky Cowie is full of rhyming stories inspired by her love of animals, nature, family life and childhood memories.
The illustrations for her five stories were commissioned in 2017, two years before the premiere of Mackesy’s film The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2023.
A rep for Mackesy said: “He is thrilled that Vicky, a dear friend, will be republishing a series of her books that he illustrated several years ago.”
Before Bloomsbury publishers discovered Cowie’s stories, she self-published five of her stories in 2018, selling them from the back of horse boxes at horse shows.
Cowie said: “My first meeting with Charlie (Mackesy) working together on my book was a surreal and wonderful day for both of us.
“Neither of us had published a book before, so he asked me to just read my stories to him.
“For the next two hours I read him all five rhyming stories from Tales From Muggleswick Wood, putting on all my silly voices I had for the many lovable characters.
“Only my children have heard these stories and voices before when I read to them!
“Both Charlie and I grew up near the real Muggleswick Wood in the North East of England, so as a country lover, Charlie completely understood my humor and all the country life described in the stories.
“And there, before my eyes, my world began to come alive thanks to his beautiful illustrations.
“Whatever I had in my imagination, he was sketching fast and furious, and in those first two hours, Charlie had sketched all five stories!
“Melvin The Mole was drawn with great love for country life. Lady Plumcake’s hairstyle was the same as my mother’s.
“The little boy with the Biggest Blooming Beetle with the auburn hair is my nephew Albie. And the wonderful and magical black horse was the spit of my own horse, Nifty.
“It’s a huge privilege to know that I worked with Charlie on my book before it became such a success.
“And now, finally, his delicate and colorful illustrations in my book will be noticed and loved.”
Cowie’s book consists of short stories; The Magic of Muggleswick Wood, The Biggest Flowering Beetle, The Secret of Snittington Hall, Melvin the Mole and Kevin the Kelpie.
Mackesy’s book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse was named Book of the Year by Waterstones magazine upon its publication in 2019 and won the Bafta Award for Best British Short Animation in 2023.
Tales from Muggleswick Wood: A Magical Bedtime Treasury will be published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books on November 7.
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