About the author:
Liam
Maher grew up in the beautiful gardens
of
Dromoland Castle in County Clare, Ireland.
This
and the surrounding picturesque countryside
coupled
with the old beliefs during his
boyhood
days of leprechauns, ghosts and fairies were to inspire his
children’s
stories that were to come in later life and originally written
for
his grandchildren.
Liam
has had two other books published with Guardian Angel, The
Golden
Daffodils and Mr.
Topper, the Lucky Potbellied Pig.
More
are coming soon.
Liam
spends his time gardening, keeping fit, entertaining his
grandchildren
and searching for leprechauns.
About the Illustrator:
Gin May is an engineering
graduate, hailing from Malaysia. Her
greatest interest lies in fantasy art, with an emphasis on human
or
humanoid characters. She says she enjoys doing fantasy-based
pictures
since she can brush off anatomical mistakes by claiming the
character
isn’t human. She lives on a steady diet of instant noodles and
potato
chips.
Samples of her work may be viewed at http://ginmay.cjb.net/
The Plumber
and the Wishing Well
What could be
more charming than Irish folk lore and Christmas, all wrapped up in to one
story of wee people and their magical wishing well? In this story written by Liam Maher, a beautiful
yellow bird tries to find a way for her friend the plumber to buy presents for
his children on Christmas Eve. The bird
Tupo, visits her friend in the forest, and receives instruction on how to find
a magical wishing well.
Upon her
approach the well is covered in unforgiving vines. Tupo is entertained by music and dance, and
witnesses some mystical wee people. The
little people have a problem that maybe Tupo can help them with. They are sad over the fact that Christmas
will be ruined if they do not find a way to fix their problem.
The plumber arrives and notices something most
rewarding, but does not share his new found knowledge with anyone. The little people are delighted to see the
plumber, and want to give him riches, but the plumber has other intentions.
This Gaeilge
flavored tale with all the influence of the emerald Isle, has a few intriguing
turns and twists that will delight a child’s interests. The art work of Gin May is beautifully
illustrated, and pops from the page. This
is a heartwarming story of kindness, sharing and consideration for others in
need. The plumber is concerned with how the
little people will be able to continue the life they are accustomed to
living. His intentions are to manipulate
the chain of events and make life better for everyone. The story of the Plumber and the Wishing well
is truly in the holiday spirit, and lends example for children to practice in
their every day travels.
This enchanting
holiday story includes a leprechaun, an elf, a fairy, and other interesting
characters. With all the charms of Irish folklore and brilliant art work, I
rate this book with *****, and because of the wonderful message of sharing, it lends to all.
This review was written by Susan Hornbach, author
of children’s literature.
If you wish to purchase this book, click
the link below:
