There is magic and misdeed in the neighbourhood of Westleigh. Human residents increasingly visit the small woodland that borders their orderly suburb. Animals increasingly depart the forest to forage amidst the humans’ houses. As humans notice the encroachment, nerves fray. New plans are devised for the green space.
In the midst of this unrest, the animals begin to look…different somehow. Transformed, many of the neighbours believe, into something strange and sinister. But how? And why now?
One man, keenly aware of growing change, still believes that peace can be found. The Tiny Woods can be home for animals and a valuable refuge for humans. He works to bring his fellow neighbours onboard. At the same time, his personal life enters a new phase of flux. For all his careful efforts, he embarks on a risky venture to win, or lose, true love.
One coyote, a female, emboldened by human contact, driven by necessity, begins to take greater and greater chances. Instinct tells her that survival can only be found by dramatically adapting to this human-dominated world.
In this beautifully-illustrated novella, memorable human and animal characters weave a fascinating web of magic realism. Urban and wild, comical and tragic, this adventure begs the question: how do both humans and animals live out their best lives? Indeed this relevant story is an eco-fairy tale for our current fraught times.
Joanne Pasieka is an Ottawa, Canada author and illustrator. Her writing weaves current life issues and fairy tale themes into a story that make strive to make sense of the modern world in which we, and our animal counterparts, now find themselves in. A landscape and wild animal photographer, she specializes in creative photography, similarly weaving reality and fantasy together.
