Te Horo author Jacqui Simpson has written a delightful book to remember her son’s young friend. ‘Ethan The Incredible’ is about ten year old Ethan who died in 2012. “He was an amazing, wonderful child, with a passionate love of swords and weapons,” says Jacqui Simpson. “He naturally became the knight in the story with dragons to fight and princesses to rescue. But at the end of the story he has to go away to find more adventures.”
Ethan was able to visit Weta Workshops courtesy of a friendly contact and this book draws on his childhood love in a special way. He had wanted to work there when he grew up.
This book made me smile with its mixture of knights and dragons of old and a very modern fighting boy named Ethan on a motorised scooter. The story is told in rhyme, and Ethan’s brothers and sister also feature. It can be enjoyed by children simply as an entertaining story but also has a deeper layer of meaning and relevance and will touch the hearts of anyone who reads it or who knew Ethan.
‘He was clever and cunning and fearless and strong,Slashing and smashing and scooting along.
His fight, it continued, day after day.
When the dragons came close, he soon scared them away.’
Jacqui says “Ethan lives on in this book, a knight fighting dragons with a sword in his hand and a scooter to ride on, always ready to ride off to the next adventure.”
Illustrator Philip Webb from Wellington brings the story to life, complementing the story with beautiful vibrant illustrations.
Ethan the Incredible, by Jacqui Simpson and Philip Webb will be available directly from Jacqui by emailing js@ethan-the-incredible.com, or going to the website www.ethan-the-incredible.com. Copies can be ordered from there and sent NZ wide as well as overseas.
The book is being launched in Wellington at The Children’s Bookshop on 11 November at 6pm and will be available in bookshops, including Moby Dickens at Paraparaumu Beach.