Ju ́lia Sarda` is a freelance illustrator from Barcelona. She began her studies at the Fine Arts University of Barcelona, but then switched to a graphic arts course at an illustration school to focus more on her technique and to prepare herself for an illustration career. She worked as a colorist in a studio making editorial merchandise for Disney and Disney Pixar. Two years later she bravely set off on her own as a freelance illustrator. She began working on concept art for video games where she honed her own style and developed her vision. Now she works mostly in children's illustration and has had the pleasure of illustrating some of her favourite classics including Alice in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Leina and the Lord of the Toadstools: Myriam Dahman, Júlia Leina and the Lord of the Toadstools: Myriam Dahman, Júlia

Then, just like the rumours, he too vanishes on a trip to the forest. The townsfolk don't look for him but Leina doesn't believe he is gone forever, and looks out for his lantern to return from the darkness. When she finally sees a light she ventures in, only to find a man sized toad. Leina est passeuse sur la rivière qui sépare son village et la forêt qui le borde. Nombre de villageois s’y étant aventurés ne sont jamais revenus. Un jour, Leina va transporter sur sa barque un étrange passager : Messire Brombiron, seigneur des amanites. I was shopping for my baby cousins at Better Read Than Dead and came across this gem and couldn’t resist buying it for myself.

I throughly enjoyed this story, I thought Leina was a very strong character and the illustrations by Julia Sarada were absolutely stunning. The townsfolk believed the forest was haunted but they would still cross the river to take the firewood they needed. The only person with a boat is Leina, a girl who smiled but never spoke. Her favourite passenger is a young name named Oren, with smiling eyes and a welcome joke. Born in Paris in 1980, Nicolas Digard began writing in 2006 as a scriptwriter for animated television series. He has written more than 60 episodes on series including Angelo Rules, The Jungle Bunch to the Rescue, Super 4 and Gawayn. He published his first historical novel Les Loups De Sherwood (The Sherwood Wolves), in 2014. He wrote the first seven books in the bestselling children's series Frigiel & Fluffy, and is the author of Slurp!, and Le Manchot Qui Avait Marre D'être Pris Pour Un Pingouin. Nicolas is currently working on a new animated series and a historical series for television, and is writing his second historical novel. He is a strong advocate for authors' rights. The Wolf's Secret, his first English children book co-written with Myriam Dahman will be published by Orchard in October 2020. When Leina’s friend, Oren, doesn’t return, she goes on a mission to find him. In the forest she meets the mysterious Mr Spadefoot who introduces himself as The Lord of the Toadstools. Myriam Dahman was born and raised in Morocco and moved to France, aged 18, to study. Since then, she's lived in Barcelona, Shanghai, New York and the Caribbean. She now lives in Paris, where she works as a climate change expert while also writing Children books. She's published several children's books in France including Ma Maison a le Hoquet, Le Barbare en Collants Jaunes and Tout Pour Devenir une Sorcière . The Wolf's Secret, which she co-authored with Nicolas Dahman, is her first picture book published in the UK. It's a dark and lyrical contemporary fairy tale about love and loneliness, with just a pinch of magic.

Leina and the Lord of the Toadstools by Júlia Sardà

Une saveur de conte de grand mère, de vieille europe, d'automne et de soupe au potiron, avec un sous texte écologique, une héroïne agréable et des illustrations superbes, c'est tout ce dont j'ai besoin ! She can hardly believe what she finds, but must conjure even more courage and even more cunning to not become another soul lost to the forest. When Leina's friend, Oren, doesn't return, she goes on a mission to find him. In the forest she meets the mysterious Mr Spadefoot who introduces himself as The Lord of the Toadstools. Mr Spadefoot is strange and magical, and Leina suspects that he knows where she can find Oren. When Leina meets the Lord of the Toadstools, Mr Spadefoot, her whole life changes. But, when a normal dinner turns out to be a rescue mission Mr Spadefoot is not all as he seems… Hotjar sets this cookie to identify a new user’s first session. It stores a true/false value, indicating whether it was the first time Hotjar saw this user.When Leina's friend, Oren, doesn't return, she goes on a mission to find him. In the forest she meets the mysterious Mr Spadefoot who introduces himself as The Lord of the Toadstools. She accepts his invitation for dinner in his underground palace, and there she discovers the secret of the forest and the mystery of the missing townsfolk.