leina and the lord of the toadstools

A richly atmospheric gift of a book about gratitude and forgiveness, from the award-winning creators of The Wolf's Secret and illustrated by the internationally acclaimed artist Júlia Sardà.

Leina owns the only boat in town - she ferries townsfolk over to the forest where they chop trees and hunt animals. But everyone in the town fears the forest and not everyone who goes in comes back out again...

When Leina's friend, Oren, doesn't return, she goes on a mission to find him. In the forest she meets the mysterious Mr Spadefoot who introduces himself as The Lord of the Toadstools.

Mr Spadefoot is strange and magical and Leina suspects that he knows where she can find Oren. She accepts his invitation for dinner in his underground palace and there she discovers the secret of the forest and the mystery of the missing townsfolk.

Myriam Dahman was born and raised in Morocco and moved to France, aged 18, to study. Since then, she's lived in Barcelona, Shanghai, New York and the Caribbean. She now lives in Paris, where she works as a climate change expert while also writing children's books. She's published several children's books in France including Ma Maison a le Hoquet, Le Barbare en Collants Jaunes and Tout Pour Devenir une Sorcière.

Born in Paris in 1980, Nicolas Digard began writing in 2006 as a scriptwriter for animated television series. He has written more than 60 episodes on series including Angelo Rules, The Jungle Bunch to the Rescue, Super 4 and Gawayn. He published his first historical novel Les Loups De Sherwood (The Sherwood Wolves), in 2014. He wrote the first seven books in the bestselling children's series Frigiel & Fluffy, and is the author of Slurp!, and Le Manchot Qui Avait Marre D'être Pris Pour Un Pingouin. Nicolas is currently working on a new animated series and a historical series for television, and is writing his second historical novel. He is a strong advocate for authors' rights.

Júlia Sardà is a freelance illustrator from Barcelona. She began her studies at the Fine Arts University of Barcelona, but then switched to a graphic arts course at an illustration school to focus more on her technique and to prepare herself for an illustration career. She worked as a colorist in a studio making editorial merchandise for Disney and Disney Pixar. Two years later she bravely set off on her own as a freelance illustrator. She began working on concept art for video games where she honed her own style and developed her vision. Now she works mostly in children's illustration and has had the pleasure of illustrating some of her favourite classics including Alice in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Her work can be viewed at:
@juliasardaportabella
www.juliasardaportabella.com