What a really cute story. I really enjoyed reading this to my grandchildren. They really enjoyed it as well.

This was a really fun short story about a boy, a stick, and Willa the wisp. I can't wait to read the sedond Fabled Story.

Thank you NetGalley for the DRC.

Don't miss this entertaining treat for chapter book readers!

It's a little bit creepy, a little bit fanciful and a whole lotta delightful.

"AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD SAT AND ISLAND.

And at the heart of that island lived a boy named Auggie. "

On this island are the Fabled Stables. They look small from the outside, but inside they are magically massive enough to be home to one of a kind magical beings.

Auggie, a young boy with the ability to talk to animals, is their caretaker.

Unfortunately he's the only boy on the island and lonely. He may or may not be friends with Fen, a cantankerous 'stick in the mud" who transforms into any shape Auggie needs while caring for the stables. All to often this means turning into a shovel to dig out the muck a stable inevitably acquires. The only other people on the island are Miss Bundt, who, based on her many tattoos, may or may not have been a pirate in a previous career. Her job now seems to be to make things for Professor Cake, an old, clever collector and owner of the island.

One morning the earth shakes. When Auggie rushes to the stables he discovers a new stall. The back of it opens into a swamp where, unbeknownst by him, far away, some hunters are chasing down a magical creature.

Auggie, wrapped in a bit of Gargantula's web so he doesn't get lost, heads off in search of the new creature. Willa the Wisp, seems to be a bunny like creature with floppy ears, fluffy tail, horns and wings. She has the capacity to transform herself into whatever shape she wants.

Things seem dire when Auggie and Willa end up trapped in a net by the nefarious hunters.

I adored so much about this book. Jonathan Auxier's writing is whimsical and fun. I've read this three times and each time I am more enchanted. My NetGalley copy included unfinished artwork by Olga Demidova, a Russian illustrator now living in the USA. She creates exquisite art using photoshop. I found some of the finished work I shared here on her instagram site.

In his introductory note, the author writes,

The Fabled Stables is meant to be read aloud. As a parent I've struggle to find read-alouds that strike a balance between the interests and attention spans of my differently aged kids. I wanted to create a series that combined the more complex plotting and language of chapter books with the illustration-every-page excitement of picture books. Truly, this is a series meant for readers of all ages."

Thank you Jonathan Auxier for your brilliantly executed vision.

I've already ordered a couple of copies of this for two of my grandchildren. (I might even have to purchase a copy for myself for when they come to visit)

I'm excitedly looking forward to the next in the series.

Auggie is a little boy who is in charge of The Fabled Stables. The Fabled Stables holds many one-of-a-kind creatures. One day, a new stall appears for an unknown creature. Auggie ventures into the swamp in the new stall and discovers a Wisp named Willa. He has to protect her from hunters, who are trying to capture Willa before she disappears when the sun rises.

I loved the variety of magical creatures in this story. There were some creatures who were based on things in real life, such as a tarantula who was as big as a person named a Garantula. There was a stick-in-the-mud named Fen, who could transform into any item that Auggie needed at the moment, such as a rake. There was also Willa who was a wisp, a creature that is born one day but disappears when the moon sets.

In an author’s note at the beginning of the book, the author says that he wrote this book to be read out loud to children. Some books may read well, but don’t sound the same when they’re read aloud. Sometimes in stories with magical creatures, their names can be complicated and difficult to pronounce. Though there are made-up creatures in this story, their names are easy to say. Some of the dialogue rhymed, which makes it fun to read as well.

This is the great first story in the Fabled Stables series!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an e-ARC of Jonathan Auxier’s new children’s book The Fabled Stables: Willa the Wisp.

Already having an affinity for everything Jonathan Auxier writes, I knew I would fall just as hard for his new series specifically designed to be read-aloud.

While I did read this book first for myself, I read it aloud to my two younger children. They were delighted in meeting Auggie, who lives on an island with magical stables filled with extraordinary one-of-a-kind creatures! Each character introduced adds to the wonder and awe of Auxier’s imagination, from the Hippopotomouse, to the Bush Squid and to Fen—the pessimistic and literal “stick in the mud.

Auxier has created yet another fantastical world full of rich new characters along with some familiar faces, such as Professor Cake! The Fabled Stables: Willa the Wisp introduces a whole new generation of readers to Auxier’s imaginative storytelling!

I am looking forward to the release of this book and the final illustrations, created by Olga Demidova, which enhance the magic of the story.

I received an e-galley from Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

An island. A boy. One-of-a-kind creatures. And a lot of magic and fun. The Fabled Stables in an illustrated chapter book for young readers that is filled with magical creatures and a boy who wants to rescue and take care of them. It’s funny and sweet and to be a sure hit with young readers.