Inspiring Young Readers

posted on 29 Mar 2026

Pandora and the Story Forge by Gaynor Andrews and Marie-Alice Harel

Almost everything about this book is arresting. It starts with the innovative landscape format and the strikingly beautiful illustration on the card cover before revealing an almost dreamlike verse story inside about the world of words, stories and creativity. And there are still more sumptuous illustrations throughout.

Pandora is an ‘adorer of words’ and these words surround her as if part of nature – they flock like birds, gurgle like water and swim like fish: they are even to be be found in the soil and the stones.

Pandora gathers them all to take home curled up in boxes and so plentiful that:

“They spill out of bottles and tumble from jars.

They glitter like gemstones; they shimmer like stars.

They TOOT and they FIZZ and they POP around the room.

They hoot And they JINGLE; they ZIP and they ZOOM. “

But soon Pandora will tip these words into her creative fires and craft them into extraordinary adventures – adventures of magical beasts, shipwrecks, magic and pirates.

She will send her creations out into the world where they will be found and read by children who will – perhaps – be inspired to become the next generation of storytellers.

The dreamy music of the poem is, you might think, enough but you get a whole lot more with Marie-Alice Harel’s superb illustration. The word ‘illustration’ almost underplays the quality of the artwork here. She clearly works in the tradition of some of the great 19th and 20th century artist-illustrators and I was immediately struck by echoes here of the great Danish artist, Kay Nielson. Superb.

The book will be available from Rocket Bird Books in May 2026 and you’ll be able to get a copy from your local independent bookshop – who will, of course, be glad to order it for you if they don’t have it on their shelves.

 

Terry Potter

March 2026