Magic in the Mist

It's the illustrations that will surprise you - the little trainee wizard boy with his short hair, scarf and round glasses IS Harry Potter, and yet pre-dates the Potter books by about 20 years. A short picture book, but the Welsh setting and the loneliness really come through.

Arrgh. I am constantly surprised to find wonderful books which are either hard to find, or out of print. "Magic in the Mist" is one of them. It is a rare little book that presents a story that is more adult-like in it's conception. Different from other books in which the theme is more or less pre-digested, in this book the developments are not obvious, nor predictable, and the plot doesn't just clobber you over the head with an obvious message. Which is not to say that I have anything against the pre-digested sorts of books. Only that I think children ought to be exposed to a diverse garden of books. In any case, this book is about a boy named Thomas and his frog friend Jeremy. They live in western Wales and Thomas is studying magic, although none too successfully. Then one day magic comes into his life when a small dragon appears. The dragon does not stay long, but the magic lingers. Five Stars. Wonderful Read-aloud. Excellent artwork. [Trina Schart Hyman did the intricate drawings for this book and they are marvelous.] There just aren't many books with such vibrant word usage. Find below is the first paragraph of the book so you can judge for yourself. Once, when the mountains sang and people listened, when Cader Idris was covered by snow and Plynlimon was hidden by fog, there lived in west Wales, a boy named Thomas. His home was a rude shelter at the edge of a bog, not far from the sea. Thomas was studying to be a wizard. Although he spent long hours with books, practicing spells and chanting incanta- tions, his magic was not very strong. In fact, it was not even strong enough to keep his house warm. Each morning as the cold wet day began, Thomas would try to light the house fire. In spite of all his spells, the rain kept on dripping into the small hut, the wind blew through chinks in the walls, and Thomas could do no more than strike a weak spark.

Magic in the Mist is a maravelosly gentle tale, woven with warmth, immagination, whimsy and MAGIC! The young boy, Thomas, is studying to be a wizard and lives in a crude shelter by the sea. His sole companion is a frog, he named Jeremy. Kimmel captures the essense of magic and wonder for children or those with an open heart, of any age. The illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman enrich this fanciful tale resulting in complete captivation. I was able to hear the wind and the song it carried.

This is a gentle, sensitive story about a child who has studied wizardry long and hard and has only a little luck with his magic. He is not able to light a proper fire to keep his house warm. The only company he has is one small toad. On one remarkable day he listens to the song of his toad and notices the beginnings of magic. The friendship shared between the two focuses the child's magical efforts on songs about wind, flame etc. and that is when the spells work the best.The black on white sketches are clear and inhance the story set in Wales.I enjoyed this book a great deal. During this Harry Potter era, I have been looking for a gentle approach to the magical for our little people story time at the library where I work. I also have a 4 1/2 year old who loves Harry Potter on tape and enjoys this story even more since he can imagine himself as the character more easily. I hope the publishers reprint this since my copy is on loan from another library!Sincerely, Childrens Literature Specialist CAS