WHAT'S MR BENDY'S NEW SHOES ABOUT
"Mr. Bendy's New Shoes" is a heartwarming story about an elderly elf named Mr. Bendy who struggles with painful feet, preventing him from enjoying a normal life. One snowy day, his friend Pebble finds a pair of shoes which turn out to have magic powers. When Mr. Bendy tries on the shoes, they miraculously alleviate his pain, taking him on an unexpected adventure.The story ends with a celebration of friendship and the magic that can sometimes be found in unexpected places. This is a traditional fairy tale, beautifully written by Janet and illustrated by talented artist, Claire.
HOW DID THE STORY EVOLVE?
This book was inspired by my mum, who is now in her eighties. She always dreamed of publishing her fairy tales, and I'm thrilled to say that after 70 years, it's finally happened. She started creating these tales when she was around 10 years old, sharing them with her little sister Sheila. As children, my siblings and I had the joy of listening to those same stories, with "Mr. Bendy's New Shoes" being my favorite. Determined to bring her story to print, I first sought out an artist to illustrate the book. It felt like fate led me to Claire Delaney Mcleary, whose beautiful ink and watercolor artwork brought the characters to life exactly as my mum and I imagined. This is truly a magical story that both young children and parents will love.
MEET THE GALS BEHIND THE BOOK
Janet Watmore - author
This is Janet, my mum, isn't she lovely. She started making up stories to get her little sister to go to sleep. She then told those same stories to me and my siblings and our children when they came along. She lives in Northumberland in the UK.
Claire Delaney McLeary - illustrator
This is my new friend Claire. She is a fantastic artist, illustrator and writer. Claire lives in Rotorua, New Zealand and many of her spectacular murals can be seen around the town.
Angela Mackay - publisher
This is me. After many hours, days, weeks I have finally published my mum's first book. I am hoping that people will buy it and this will inspire my mum to write down more of her wonderful fairy tales and then kids everywhere get to enjoy them, just like we did as children. Oh, I live at Lake Tarawera, New Zealand.