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In a book of the month subscription I had, the book The Fabled Stables Book 1: Willa the Wisp was a selection. The author Jonathan Auxier sounded familiar, and the art of Olga Demidova looked fun, so I decided to keep and read. However, I was never in the mood for a fantasy book about a blue rabbit (I did not really pay attention to the title, so now I know she is a wisp, not a rabbit), until the other day. I figured that, as an adult reader, it would not be too taxing, and something I could finish up quickly enough. And instead of some quick snack, I found a nice appetizer to read.
Okay, I probably mixed my metaphor a bit there, but regardless, this is a cute story about friendship, magic, and with a bit of old school folktale within a modern package. It has delightfully fun illustrations that are bright, colorful, and busy without necessarily being overwhelming. We follow Auggie, the only boy on this fantasy island, who has the job of taking care of magical beasts. Some are nice, some sweet, some a real Stick-in-the-Mud. No really, Fen is a real Stick-in-the-Mud, a creature who changes shape (like becoming a rake) to help Auggie with his chores (of course, mucking out stalls are not his favorite chore by any stretch of the imagination). And one day, something unusual happens. Which of course, is the joke, as the whole island is unusual. And Auggie is tossed into an adventure to save Willa the Wisp. It is predictable (with one small exception, but no spoilers) for the adult reader, but children will be surprised.
There is fantasy adventure (three thieves are trying to trap Willa) and that can get a little intense, same as when the giant spider creature wants to eat one of the thieves (but Auggie says we don’t eat people, even the bad ones), so very young or sensitive readers be aware. Overall, I enjoyed this book and now I am curious about book two.