Emma Farrarons gives Forest School a magical twist in her Wands Away series
About Author
Enter a world of nature and magic, spellcraft and broomsticks; Emma Farrarons introduces her Wands Away! young fiction series.
Emma Farrarons was born in the Philippines and grew up in Paris in France, surrounded by books and drawing. She studied art at Edinburgh College and Paris's Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs before becoming a designer at Macmillan Children's Books. Her debut children's picture book, My Hair is as Long as a River by Charlie Castle, won the prestigious 2025 Klaus Flugge Prize.
Emma now writes and illustrates her own books. She lives in London with her young family.
Interview
May 2026
Farrarons gives Forest School a magical twist in her Wands Away adventures for young readers
One day, while cycling with her children to forest school, designer and illustrator Emma Farrarons started to wonder about witches and broomsticks, and the magic of nature, and her Wands Away series (Simon & Schuster Children's Books) was born.
ReadingZone caught up with Emma to find out more about her Wands Away books - Learning to Fly and Spell Class - and about her path into children's illustration and then writing.
Emma also shares ideas for using the Wands Away books to help inspire a love of nature and creativity in children - and starts them off in making their own comic strip.
Review: "Emma Farrarons has masterfully created a world where we join young people on a residential camp, learning magic. What child would not want to be part of that!"
More about Wands Away: Learning to Fly More about Wands Away: Spell Class
Q&A with Emma Farrarons: Inspiring a love of nature and creativity with Wands Away!
"These are the things I want my own children to carry with them. Imagination, bravery, friendship, teamwork,
and the belief that there is no such thing as a boring day."
1. Hello Emma, thank you for joining us on ReadingZone to talk about your Wands Away! series. Can you start by telling us how you became a writer and illustrator, and what kinds of books do you enjoy creating?
I've wanted to make picture books since art school, but as a designer, not an illustrator. I did an internship at Macmillan Children's Books, was eventually offered a job, and stayed for 16 years. The best job! From art directing illustrators and working closely with an editor, to watching a child read a book for the first time. It's such a special feeling.
Then one day, while cleaning up some scans in Photoshop, I thought I'd love to give picture book illustration a go. But I had no idea where to begin. A friend recommended Orange Beak Studio, who tutor illustrators specifically in children's illustration. The advice my tutor Maisie Paradise Shearring gave me truly changed my career: carry a sketchbook wherever you go and draw every day from life. Really look at the world around you, don't just see. I spent two years doing this alongside my full time job. I drew on the tube, in cafes, my children sleeping, playing in playgrounds. It worked! Drawing from observation fed into memory drawing, and memory drawing fed into imaginary drawing. I would say that's how I learnt to illustrate.
Officially, I think I became a children's book illustrator when I got my first commission. My Hair is as Long as a River, written by Charlie Castle, became my debut picture book. This book winning the Klaus Flugge Prize for most exciting newcomer to picture book illustration was beyond anything I could have hoped for. And to top it all, it was published by Macmillan Children's Books - the very publishing house I had spent 16 years working for. A full circle.
I would say I stumbled into writing. The Wands Away series was offered on a single drawing of my little witch Ramona holding a broom. My incredible agent Rachel Petty made the magic happen at Bologna Book Fair with Simon & Schuster. It all happened in a whirlwind. As soon as the offer was made, I realised I had to learn to write. I had never expected to write a 128 page early reader as my debut book! So I booked two writing courses with City Lit, taught by the wonderful Andrew Weale.
I applied everything I learned: how to give your character agency, make the world believable, think about obstacles. I also borrowed some brilliant advice my son's KS1 teacher taught him in English class; expandable sentences, alliteration, metaphors. It all fed directly into the series.
2. What happens in each of your Wands Away! adventures, Learning to Fly and Spell Class?
Learning to Fly is all about first experiences. I have a six and 10-year-old, and I love listening to their firsts. Learning to cycle, trying a new food, making a new friend, learning an instrument. But the book also draws on my own childhood memories. My first time skiing, swimming, cycling, all at the age of nine. That mix of nerves and excitement when everything is new.
Spell Class is rooted in imagination. The children make their wands and conjure spells using their own creativity. That is pretty much my childhood. Long summer days with nothing to do but disappear into my own world. I used to make wands out of paper and pretend to enter a magical place. Ramona's school feels very familiar to me.
Initial Wands Away sketch by Emma Farrarons, taking the children to Wands Away School
3. What helped inspire these stories about young witches in training and a magical forest?
My children have been going to Jolly Foresters, a forest bushcraft club, every summer since they were three. Every day they whittle, build fires, make wild clay sculptures. When I collect them they are covered in charcoal, twigs in their hair, smelling of firewood. They tell me about making currency from acorns and building dens. The forest is their playground. They are wild and free.
I drop them there on our family cargo electric bike, wellies and waterproofs on, lunchboxes packed. One day, at a red light, I thought, what if this cargo bike were a family broom? And as I cycled into the forest, what if this forest club were a witch school? That was the moment Wands Away was born.
4. What draws you to writing and illustrating stories about nature? Do you get much inspiration from your children's stories about Forest School?
I get a lot of inspiration from my own children and from nature. When building the world of Wands Away, I asked Leanne, the forest school leader at Jolly Foresters, if I could come and draw. I have been more than a handful of times now. I sit on a fallen tree, listen to the children play, and draw them from life. In my sketchbook, I scribble the conversations they have, the games they invent, the way they move. It feeds everything.
My son went on a bushcraft residential when he was in Year 3, camping in bell tents. He had the most magical time. When I collected him I wanted every single anecdote. One of his classmates had turned up with a huge holdall packed entirely with teddies from home. I loved that so much I gave a character the very same idea. That is the thing about children. If you really listen, they give you everything.
Emma Farrarons' sketches of the Wands Away characters
5. What do Ramona and the other children learn about through their adventures starting at school? What would you have enjoyed the most if you were at Wands Away School?
The children learn so much through their adventures. In book one they learn to fly. In book two they make their own wands, go foraging, and earn badges through assessments. My brothers were scouts, and that was a big inspiration. There is something so satisfying about working towards something and being recognised for it.
If I were at Wands Away School? Flying, without a doubt. But also hammock camping tied to a broomstick, drifting up towards the stars for a night of stargazing. Who wouldn't want that?
6. You've illustrated these stories, as well as writing them. How did you decide on the look of the characters and the style of illustration in the stories?
Because I was new to writing, I felt more comfortable creating a character based on someone I know and can relate to. So Ramona is physically based on me, with the personality of my two sons. Picture a small Filipino, Spanish, French witch with glasses. I used to sew my own clothes as a child, and their Danish grandma knitted them pointy woollen hats as babies. That is where her look came from.
The illustration style is very close to how I draw when I do observational sketching. My illustration voice developed from having to work fast, sketching my own children who never stop moving. For world building, I have made many trips to Sydenham and Dulwich Woods with my family. The oversized plants that feature throughout the story are completely inspired by the tropical plants in the Philippines. They are humongous, and there is something magical about them. In a way, every part of Ramona's world is drawn from something I have lived, somewhere I have been, or someone I love.
7. Can you tell us about the kinds of themes you explore in these stories? What kinds of discussions could Wands Away! Inspire?
These are the things I want my own children to carry with them. Imagination, bravery, friendship, teamwork, and the belief that there is no such thing as a boring day. I hope Wands Away sparks those conversations at home and in the classroom.
Emma Farrarons' sketches of arriving at Wands Away School - plus teddies!
8. Are there any activities you'd suggest to follow up a reading of the books?
If you can, go and explore a wood. Dress for the weather, find a stick, climb some trees, make a den, and just drink it all in. Forest bathe. And bring a hot chocolate thermos. I always make popcorn at home beforehand.
For a drawing activity, try creating yourself as a witchling at Wands Away School. Design your very own broom. Would it have front lights like a bike, or an autopilot button? How would you carry your bags? What would you wear on a rainy day? It can get very cold up in the clouds. Mittens? Thick woolly socks?
9. The young witches work with natural elements in their spells. What element do you think you'd be happiest with, and what kinds of spells would you enjoy creating?
Water, without a doubt. I would love a water fight, and it just so happens there is one in chapter nine of Spell Class. I would definitely join in. On a hot summer day I would switch to sprinkler mode. And if I am being practical, I would probably offer car wash services to the neighbours to earn some pocket money.
10. What kinds of things do you enjoy in real life, when you're not dreaming up new stories? Does nature play a big part in your down-time?
I love forest walks, country walks, and the beach. But I also sew and knit my own clothes, and I draw from observation just for the pleasure of it. My bag always has a sketchbook and a pencil case. On a sunny day I am on my cargo bike, cycling the quiet streets of London with the kids, mapping out the neighbourhoods, one ride at a time. There is usually a playground or an ice cream at the end.
Creative Challenge: Make a Comic Strip: I think an illustration and writing challenge in the form of a comic strip would be perfect. Grab a piece of paper and fold it into four panels. You are going to make your very own witch comic strip! Pick your element: fire, water, air, or earth. Create your witchling and give them a name. Then give them a problem to solve. Draw your story across the four panels. Meet your witchling, trouble strikes, they cast their spell, problem solved! There are no wrong answers. The only rule is to have fun.
Emma Rarrarons' School Visits: I love school visits! I just did two this week with Years 1 and 2. Because I spent 16 years as a picture book designer, I love explaining how books are made. So I start there, from the very first sketch to character building, thumbnails, roughs, and dummies. I also show the photo of my cargo bike that inspired the whole idea.
Then I read a chapter, and we have a drawing workshop where the children design themselves as witchlings and create their very own school broom. We finish with a big draw-along, designing a school broom bus together. The kids shout out ideas and I draw them live. So far we have had a jacuzzi, a burger button, a pancake station, hammocks, a popcorn maker, a basket for cats, bats and dogs, and an autopilot button. Every child goes home with a little printout to make their very own mini book. To book a visit, get in touch through my website.
Wands Away: Spell Class (book 2)
Wands Away: Learning to Fly
