About the Book…
“Believe me, my young friend, there is NOTHING – absolutely nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats”
There is a time in a young otter’s life when they must be introduced to their river. For Portly, today was that day …
Told across four seasons in one year, little Portly has the greatest of adventures. Amongth other fur-raising encounters, the youngest of Mrs Otter’s pups learns to swim, battles a large trout, rescues a human girl, outwits the weasels and stoats of the Wild Wood and sleeps between the cloven feet of the god Pan – a scene familiar to readers of the original book.
Full of all the charm, nostalgia and sounds of splashing in the river that fans of The Wind in the Willows have fallen in love with over the years, M.G.Leonard’s faithful spin-off will enchant an entirely new generation.
Beautifully illustrated in full-colour by award-winning illustrator of The Hug, Polly Dunbar, this gorgeous hardback gift book celebrates the 95th anniversary of EH Shepard’s iconic artwork for TheWind in the Willows.
The perfect Easter gift for both new readers and existing fans – young and old!
Reading age: 7 – 12
About the Author…
M. G. Leonard is the bestselling writer of children’s books Beetle Boy, the Adventures on Trains series, The Twitchers series and her newest time-travelling mystery series, Time Keys.
Her work had been translated into over forty languages and her books have won many awards, including Sainsbury’s Children’s Book of the Year, British Book Awards Book of the year, and the Branford Boase Award. Her books have been nominated for the Carnegie Medal, shortlisted for an Edgar by the Mystery Writers of America and longlisted for the Wainwright Prize.
Maya lives by the sea with her husband and two sons, a dog called Nell and a tank of exotic beetles. She spent her early career in the music industry before she trained as an actor, before becoming a digital producer for Shakespeare’s Globe, the Royal Opera House, the National Theatre and Harry Potter West End.
Maya is one of the founding authors of #Authors4Oceans, with Lauren St John, campaigning to reduce single-use plastics.
Polly Dunbar is one of the best known author/illustrators working in the UK today, she has created many much loved books for children. Polly’s books have been adapted for stage and for screen.
Polly has worked with many authors including, Michael Morpurgo, Michael Rosen, Eoin McLaughlin and most recently MG Leonard.
Polly is also the co-founder of Long Nose Puppets, a children’s theatre company.
