This engaging compilation of 12 short stories, takes children on a journey to a land of teacups and elves, tadpoles and talking trees — where imagination rules the day. The world is populated by such wonderous things as imps, caterpillars and errant bushes that walk and talk… Included are the tales of Empty Head, the story of a young man whose head is full of fantasies like blue-bottle fairies dancing in red teacups in the sky and chocolate chip mansions surrounded with meadows of green icing; Taddy the Tadpole, who begs his uncle Foggy Foo, to take him away onto land so that he will not be devoured by the fish in the river; a wonderful chat between Elfwood and Giant Pine when Pine asks for help to move to the meadows, as he is not happy in the forest; Saby the Caterpillar, who longs to become a butterfly only to find that wicked dragonfly eats butterflies and other insects near his home, the Petunia plant… Children will love meeting King Oily, Beetle the Ball, the Paranoid Elf…and all the other colourful characters who live through the pages of this memorable montage. The Chattering Forest is equally enjoyable whether shared aloud, enacted, or read by oneself, curled up on a rainy afternoon.
