Jo Bowers is an Associate Dean at Cardiff Metropolitan University, lecturing in literacy to student teachers. She has a lifelong love of children’s literature and is a member of the English 4-11 Editorial Board. Jo is can be found on Twitter talking and sharing books with other fellow book lovers at @Jo_Bowers.
Wales on the Map by Elin Meek Illustrated by Valériane Leblond Rily Publications (2018)
This is a wonderful illustrated map book of Wales. Each double spread page is dedicated to a county of Wales full of colourful illustrations of familiar and famous places, people, animals and sport alongside hidden interesting facts about that area, sharing the richness of the Welsh culture. It is a book for all ages to browse and pore over, whether living in or outside of Wales.
Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher Firefly Press (2018)
The Clockwork Crow and is a story rich with magic and fairytale that story opens with Seren ( Welsh for star) heading alone to her godfather and his family to a cold and snow-ridden Plas-y-Fran, one of the vast Victorian manor houses of industrial Wales, which is a perfect setting for this gothic Christmas mystery. On her way, she is given a package by a frightened stranger, which she reluctantly takes. The contents of the parcel turn out to be the parts of a clockwork crow, which Seren assembles. Together they embark on an adventure to find out what has happened to her godfather’s missing son, Tomos, which then introduces a new setting of a dangerous Celtic Otherworld. This is Catherine Fisher’s first book with a Welsh setting and is a gripping mystery throughout full of great characters and a brave heroine.
The Storm Hound by Claire Fayers Macmillan Children’s Books (2019)
Claire Fayers said this was the perfect place to set a magical adventure story: in and around Abergavenny, Wales, which is surrounded by mountains, which are steeped in legend. Storm of Odin, is the youngest stormhound of the Wild Hunt that haunts lightning-filled skies. He falls to earth in the shape of a cute puppy, when he is unable to keep up with his brothers and sisters and ends up in an animal rescue centre. Jessica comes along and claims him. She has recently moved to Abergavenny, from London, to live with her dad and is missing her mum and friends. When strange people suddenly arrive in town interested in Storm, the adventure and magic begins. This is a lovely story about friendship, rooted in folklore and set in a beautiful part of Wales.
Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean it by Susie Day Puffin (2019)
Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean it is set in Wales in the village of Nant Glyder around the mountain of Y Ddraig Aur (the gold dragon) where legend says there is a golden lake guarded by a dragon. Both are fictional places but the mountain is based on The Glyders, one of the ranges in Snowdonia, National Park, North Wales. Max and his younger sisters arrive there when his dad disappears from their home in Southend. Max is known for getting into trouble, fears his dad is in trouble decides to run away here as he is convinced no one will find them and will be able to keep them all safe together. What Max does find is new friends and a very old legend and the reality of looking after his sisters with no grown up around. When Max hears about a golden dragon, asleep under the mountain he believe this is what will turn his luck around. A funny and poignant runaway adventure set in a beautiful part of Wales, that will stay with you for a long time after reading.
The Secret Dragon by Ed Clarke Puffin (2019)
The Secret Dragon is the story of a young girl, Mar, who longs to be a scientist and while fossil hunting one day on the beach finds a tiny, real live Welsh dragon. She sees this discovery as her chance to change science – and her life – forever. But, unfortunately for Mari, this dragon doesn’t want to be studied, it wants to be free, and so the adventure begins. This is a wonderful adventure story with friendship at its heart. It is set in South Wales inspired by the beautiful Heritage Coast of the Vale of Glamorgan. An area rich in fossils abundantly scattered along the shores, where in 2014 a new species of dinosaur was found, called the Dracoraptor hanagini, which means, ‘the dragon robber’.
