Sylva Fae
Interesting facts...
Sylva Fae is a married mum of three from Lancashire, England. She grew up in a rambling old farmhouse with a slightly dysfunctional family and an adopted bunch of equally dysfunctional animals. She spent twenty plus years teaching literacy to adults with learning difficulties and disabilities but now lives in Cheshire, juggling being a mum, writing children’s stories and keeping up with the crazy antics of three naughty rabbits.
Her earliest memories are of bedtime stories snuggled up close to mum to see the pictures. It was a magical time, those last special moments before dozing off to sleep would feed dreams of faraway lands and mystical beings. She now wants to share that love of stories and inspire children to create their own magical adventures.
Sylva and her family own a wood and escape there at every opportunity. Adventures in their own enchanted woodland, hunting for fairies and stomping in puddles, have inspired Sylva to write stories for her girls.
Sylva published her first children's book Rainbow Monsters, in 2017. She has since published four other children’s picture books, an anthology of Christmas stories, and has a short story published in the IASD charity anthology, You’re Not Alone. Two of her books have won Best in Category for children’s books at the Chanticleer International Book Awards. She also writes a blog, Sylvanian Ramblings, and enjoys doing developmental editing as part of One Stop Author Services. Recently, Sylva joined the editors’ team at Mom’s Favorite Reads and regularly contributes articles to the magazine.
Have you ever finished reading a book (OR - been intrigued by a synopsis) and wished you could get to know one of the characters a little better? Well, you're in luck. Get to know some of Sylva's characters...
Eric from Elfabet
Eric the Ladybird tell me a little about yourself?
- Hi, I’m Eric and I’m the star of Sylva’s new book Elfabet. I was originally painted by the amazing Katie Weaver, but I have been roaming through the elfabet ever since. I like to visit all my woodland friends and I love hiding. If children look carefully enough, they can find me hiding in every letter.
What makes Eric so special?
- There are many colourful characters in the elfabet woodlands, fairies, elves, sprites and kelpies to name a few, but I’m quite special because I know all the letters. I help children to learn their alphabet.
What are your dreams for the future?
- My dream is that all children learn to read early on so they can enjoy stories their whole life. I’d also like to star in other books.
What is the weirdest thing about you? Are you proud of it or embarrassed?
- Hmmm, I think the weirdest thing about me is my favourite food is aphids. It’s quite normal for ladybirds but I wouldn’t recommend children eat them. My friend Sylva Fae is quite weird too but I’m proud of her.
Little Bee from Bea & Bee
Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like?
- Hi, I’m Little Bee. I’m a worker bee from a wild hive in Cheshire, England. I don’t remember much of my early stages, I just snuggled in the hive while the nurse bees fed me royal jelly and bee bread. Once I hatched from my pupa, I worked collecting pollen and nectar. I used to fly far and wide to find the best flowers, sometimes travelling 6km from the hive. It was tiring work but rewarding to be part of the team.
Do you have any regrets? Is there anything you wished you had done differently?
- One particular day, I was on a scouting mission to find a new source of pollen and I had an accident. I’d had to fly further than usual because all the hedgerows had been cut back, and all the gardens had been mowed. I was tired and tore my wing on a tree branch as I was landing. I didn’t think I would ever make it back to the hive but a little girl called Bea found me. She was the one who named me Little Bee. If she hadn’t have found me, I would have had many regrets but Bea saved me.
Tell us about your best friend and what makes them so special?
- Bea is my new best friend. I know it’s strange for a bee to be friends with a little girl but I owe her my life. Now that Bea’s mum has planted flowers in her back yard, I want to stay here forever. In fact, I buzzed back to the hive once my wing healed, and told the other workers about Bea’s garden. Now we all visit it every day and I get to spend time with my friend.
If you could change one thing about the world… what would it be?
- I wish that humans would respect us more. What they call ‘weeds’ are our favourite flowers to get food from. If I could give them a message, I would ask them to let the weeds grow and not to replace the grass and flowers with nasty concrete.
Yoga Fox
Tell me about your reputation and how it has impacted your life and your relationship with the other woodland animals?
When I was little, I was scared of the dark and the other animals called me Scaredy Fox. I grew up hating that name. All the other animals had great names but mine was insulting. It made me not want to socialise and I often wandered to the edge of the woodland to sit on my own.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Well, since I took up fox yoga, I’ve become a much more relaxed and tolerant fox. I’ve started to teach some of the little cubs fox yoga but I’d like to introduce it as a way of life for all woodland animals. In five years, would like to see myself as the leading practitioner of Fox Yoga.
What was the best compliment you have ever received?
- The best compliment I ever received was when the animals chose a new name for me. I won’t spoil it for you, you’ll have to read my story to find out what it is. Needless to say, I’m relieved to no longer be known as Scaredy Fox.
Who would you like to be stuck in an elevator with?
- I would hate to be stuck in an elevator. I’m an outdoorsy kind of fox, the woodland is the place for me. I would love to meet Eric the ladybird though, I hear he can read and I’d love to be able to read stories. Maybe that can be my next challenge.
That Pesky Pixie
Deep in the heart of Sorrel Wood hides a school for faerie folk. The fearsome Miss Nightshade is the best teacher around, but has she met her match with the pesky pixie antics of Violet Puddledust
That Pesky Pixie – a series of stories for a story app
- An Itchy Situation
- A Stinky Start!
- A Dastardly Plan
- A Feast for a Fairy Queen
- Three Pesky Pixies and a Monstrous Mouse
Sylva's Books
Elfabet – Illustrated by Katie Weaver
An A to Z of woodland folk to help your child learn their initial letter sounds. Rhyme your way through the Elfabet with forest fairies, busy elves, cheeky pixies and watery sprites.Can you find Little Eric the ladybird hiding in each letter?
Bea & Bee -Bea loves tending the flowers in her little back yard but what she’d really like is a pet to care for. The yard is too small for a pet, or is it? When Bea finds Little Bee, she finds the perfect pet for her tiny garden.Can Bea convince Mummy to let her keep a pet bee?
Yoga Fox -Winner of 2018 Chanticleer Little Peeps Award
Scaredy Fox hates his name. Watching girls doing yoga in the park gives him an idea on how to get a new name. Will the forest animals be impressed by a fox doing yoga? Will Scaredy Fox get a new name he can be proud of?
Additional Books
Rainbow Monsters – Winner of 2017 Chanticleer Little Peeps Award.
On a mixed up rainy, sunny day,
The rainbow monsters love to play
Mindful Monsters - Shortlisted for 2018 Chanticleer Little Peeps Award
All the Rainbow Monsters are Mindful Monsters too,
Respecting one another, like all good monsters do.
No Place Like Home
Two curious silk worms hatch outside a little gift shop. Peeping through the shop window, they are intrigued by the places they see, and each creature they meet fills them with wonder about the town of Macclesfield.Each night,
Children’s Christmas Collection – With authors Kate Robinson, Paul Ian Cross and Suzanne Downes
As the winter nights draw in there’s nothing quite like curling up in front of the blazing fire, under the twinkling Christmas tree, to share stories with your loved ones.
Today's spotlight was part of a Blog Tour hosted by Mom's Favorite Reads. If you want to get to know a little more about Sylva and her books, she will be featured on a new blog each day this week.
Sylva Fae's Spotlight Blog Tour Schedule
In addition to writing amazing stories for children, Sylva is a woodland fairy who willingly and enthusiastically supports her fellow authors. Her books are positive, professional, and always entertaining. Don't forget to check out her blog for additional stories, poems ramblings from her enchanted wood.
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