Raised by Moths

Last year’s winner of The Readings Children’s Prize has written a stunning picture book set in a fairground. When a little girl called Willow jumps on the Ferris wheel with a new friend, it sets the stage for a magical encounter. At the top of the wheel, the boy calls to a flutter of moths who gather around him. He tells Willow that he was raised by moths until he was three years old, and that children can be raised by animals before being given to human parents. Willow scarcely believes him, but when she leaves the fairground she sees a herd of horses and remembers the horseshoe in her blanket when her mum adopted her.

This is a magical story of the relationship between animals and humans, as well as a whimsical adoption tale. The vivid lights and magical colours of the fun fair are captured beautifully by debut book illustrator Michelle Conn. For ages 3+.