George the wizard by Tony Armstrong. Illus. by Emma Sjaan Beukers

George the wizard is alone on top of the mountain. He tends his gardens, zooms around on his flying cloud, and plays with the animals. At night he uses his magic to draw him a wonderfully hot bath with bubbles. He realises that the one thing missing is friends. But he thinks, if he tried to find some friends, they might laugh at him.

Unbeknownst to George, a girl in the nearby village called Harriet could hear that he was lonely, so sets off to help him find friends. She tells him who she is and what her mission is but, to avoid doing what she suggests, he tells her: I have to charge my flying cloud, and I have to feed the animals. Harriet presses and takes him back to her village. He is enchanted especially when he sees the dragon. But Harriet tells him that the dragon means they are under attack. George sees the damage the Dragon is causing, and uses his magic to help the village survive the onslaught.

After the dragon has gone, Harriet introduces George to her friends. They are at first surprised, and George’s heart does a flip, anticipating rejection. But this does not eventuate. They are all thrilled to have a Wizard in their midst, and tell him how cool he is. His tummy does a flip but this time it is a happy flip as he invites his new friends to come to the mountain and meet his animals.

A deceptively simple story of making new friends has loads of layers as it touches on rejection, fear of the unknown, hiding away, feelings of inadequacy and so on. Discussing the story, kids will bring up times they have felt alone, or not good enough, or shy and the responses by other kids and adults will be to talk about the times they are happy, or feel befriended, or feel they are sharing their lives with others.

Bright bold illustrations cover each page, giving a clear indication of the life George is leading by himself, the wizardry he uses to save the village, and the contentment they all feel at the end, he with new friends, they with someone with a special skill which wil help them out.

Tony Armstrong is no stranger to kids who follow football and sports’ reports, and Emma Sjaam Buekers, with Ngemba/Ngiyampaa, Dutch and Irish heritage, brings lots of different styles and ideas to her work.

Another book by the same pair is Maggie the Dragon to be published in 2025, with the theme of following your dream.

Themes: Wizards, Dragons, Friendship, Humour.

Fran Knight