Natalia O'Hara

When that dangerous winter spirit Frindleswylde gets into her cabin and steals the attic light her Granny relies upon to get home, Cora sets out to retrieve it, following the thief into his subterranean world of ice and snow. Here she must complete three Impossible Tasks, or risk being made Frindleswylde's Queen of Winter. But although Cora does complete the tasks, her wily opponent has tricked her, ensuring that the tools she uses to do so will freeze her mind and heart, keeping her with him after all. Can Cora break free of his spell, and save herself and her Granny from the icy cold...?

Written and illustrated by sisters Natalia and Lauren O'Hara, Frindleswylde is an original fairy-tale that first came to my attention a few years ago, when it won a Children's Books Ireland Award in the illustration category. As someone who follows CBI and their work, I naturally took notice, and determined to track down a copy. I'm glad I did, as I found this a lovely book, one that certainly deserved the award for the artwork! Laure O'Hara's illustrations are beautiful, sometimes utilizing a subtle blue and green-centered palette appropriate to the icy scenes, and then sometimes using a more dazzling array of color, as when Cora and Granny escape from Frindleswylde's world. The story is engaging, but I found I liked the idea of it more than the actual telling. I'm hoping to track down more by this sororal pair, so perhaps I'll appreciate Natalia O'Hara's writing more in a different title. In any case, tastes vary, and the story has appeal (even if not equal to the artwork, in my estimation), so I'd still recommend it, to young fairy-tale lovers, and to picture book readers who appreciate beautiful artwork.… (meer)