The Little Hedgewitch

£9.99

Children’s book The Little Hedgewitch written by Jules Cooper and illustrated by Femke Van Gent.

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Description

“In the middle of the most beautiful magical island lived a Little Hedgewitch”

The Little Hedgewitch is an eco-storybook for children written by Jules Copper and illustrated by Femke van Gent.
The 64 page book is a limited edition printed in English and Welsh. The book also contains three wild food recipes.
The Little Hedgewitch was inspired by author Jules Cooper’s relationship to the beautiful, ancient hedgerows on her Anglesey smallholding.
It started out as a poem in 2010 when she first moved there. Some of her hedgerows sit on the old parish boundary and are estimated to be around 400 years old. These hedgerows are like mini eco-systems, vibrant and abundant with life, producing a great wealth of healthy food and medicine – and full of magic and mystery. 
Jules recognised that not all of Anglesey’s hedgerows were so healthy. Many are managed using rotary flail hedge cutting machines which often render the hedgerows weak and vulnerable and at worst, kill them. It was the plight of our endangered wild spaces and hedgerows that inspired her to start writing children’s books about protecting nature. 
The story tells of the Little Hedgewitch who is bewitched by a clever dragonfly and taken away from the safety of her magical island and beloved hedgerows to face the devastation of the hedgerows in Darcland.
With the help of a starling, the little Hedgewitch finds her inner strength and helps the hedgerows to recover and realise their potential and own magic that dwells inside them.
In the age of computers and mobiles, where children spend more time indoors, it is hoped that The Little Hedgewitch will capture the hearts of children and fill them with a love of nature so they take an active interest in the natural world around them, and become our future conservationists for the benefit of all things wild, both plants and humans.  
The first run of books has been printed as a limited edition, back to back in Welsh and English drawing attention to the unique cultural heritage, language and identity of Anglesey, which inspired the magical island where the Little Hedgewitch lives.
Reviews

“At first glance this is an enchanting tale for children, but within its pages there are hidden messages for us all. Guided by her love for the natural world our heroine finds the courage to bring new life to an impoverished land. With this comes a determination to leave her cosy corner sometimes, to make a difference to the future, by teaching others about the importance of the hedgerow trees and plants… A woman after my own heart!” Glennie Kindred, author of Letting In the Wild Edges 

“I want to celebrate the beautiful creation ~ ‘The Little Hedgewitch’ written by Jules Cooper! It is such a lovely and inspiring book and I encourage everyone to get a copy and pass it on to friends, young and old alike. I am grateful to be exposed to such grounded earth goodness! Many blessings!” Katrina Blair, author of The Wild Wisdom of Weeds 

“Charmingly illustrated by Femke van Gent, the author Jules Cooper manages to convey the magic qualities of a beautiful hedgerow – home to so many species both animal and plant – in an enticing story that will capture the imaginations of children and effortlessly teach them how valuable these habitats are on the edges of our villages, towns and in the open countryside.” Maddy Harland, co-founder and editor of Permaculture magazine and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts


Author Jules Cooper is a Wild Crafter who lives on a small holding on the Isle of Anglesey. She is passionate about the preservation of our native hedgerows and wild spaces, and regularly runs workshops teaching people about the wonders of wild plants. Jules is also known on Anglesey for her award winning hedgerow-inspired fruit leathers and has been referred to as a wild food alchemist and a Hedgewitch!
The Little Hedgewitch has been illustrated by Dutch illustrator Femke van Gent, who has been living on Anglesey since 2002. She is a freelance illustrator since 1997 and works for many organisations across the Netherlands and Wales. The Little Hedgewitch is her first full page illustration children’s book.