This tale took place many orbits ago when life was quite ordinary. However, magic was lurking everywhere… Once upon a time there was a little girl who went by the name Hope. She had just arrived at the famous and mystical Oak Estate. As she approached it, she noticed a large wooden sign, Oak Estate. As she got out of the tunnel that had led her to the sign, warm voices bounced and echoed across the tunnel’s heavy stone walls behind her. By the gate she stood still contemplating the sight in front of her. A village of trees and pathways, black squirrels running underneath ladders and walkways, making ripples in the river as their tails tickled the surface of the water. With eager steps and decisive strides, she pushed through the gate with her large mare trotting majestically behind her. Looking up she scanned the strange and wonderful Tree House. She wore a floor-length robe with a patch of red cloth on the left shoulder because her left shoulder was 15 slightly larger than the right one.
Today we talk about The Girl with The Flying Shuttle, a book by Malin Ryberg, published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author, Malin Ryberg, to get to know her better, what prompted her to write her book The Girl with The Flying Shuttle, as well how important illustrations are in a children’s book.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- Where did you find the inspiration to write your book?
Growing up, I longed for female wisdom. Having a family being majority men, I turned to fictional characters for a sense of female community. As the world of magic opened up to me, I began early to use my imagination as a tool to tell stories that mattered. During the writing process, I drew inspiration from the women around me as a way of using memories and imagination to seek out empowerment within fairytales.
- How important do you think illustrations are in a children’s book?
I think there is a lot of good children’s book without Illustrations, but I always love when there is smaller illustrative work that works with the text. I made mine subtly and discretely so that there is room for the reader to colour in themselves and figure out what goes where, as an attempt to let the reader be more part of the story.
- What would you like to hear from your young readers?
There are morals and wisdom that I implemented within the characters in the story, therefore I Hope that they will feel inspired by those characteristics, but in the end, I wish that they will enjoy the story. I think that is what fairytales do best – they bring you into another universe and let your mind go places it hasn’t traveled before, where a sense of learning is merely in the background leading us through.
- How did it feel to see your book published?
It feels wonderful and very unreal. It hasn’t happened (yet), but we are close, therefore I can only be excited for what is to come.
- Are you working on new writing projects that you can tell us about?
Yes, It is something I’ve been busy with for the last 5 years. It is a story with a lot of emphasis on mental health, while still using my fascination for fiction as a tool to tell this story, It is about the unseen room within our inner worlds, where memories play a big role. I attempt to visualise those “things” (emotions) that feel so hard to talk about, with the intention of making things feel just a little better.
Europe Books thanks the author, Malin Ryberg, once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book The Girl with The Flying Shuttle. We wish her the best of luck for her future works.
To you, my dear reader, I wish you to let your imagination and curiosity run free in this fairytale. and always remember that, no matter how adult you are, books for children have a lot to teach us all! They have the ability to make us reach fantastic worlds, and, at the same time, teach us important life lessons to put into practice every day.
So, my dear reader, I have nothing left but to wish you to enjoy your reading!
Your Editor!