Harriet Muncaster - Author
Harriet Muncaster has been drawing, writing and creating things for as long as she can remember. It was while at school that she discovered that being an illustrator and author was a real career path she could take. From that moment on Harriet knew exactly what she wanted to be! After completing a degree and MA in illustration, Harriet’s work was spotted by a publisher at Bologna book fair and she got her first book deal.
Harriet is inspired by anything magical, fantastical and glittery. She also has a great fascination for miniature things and owns a dollshouse in the shape of a castle.
Harriet lives in a village in Bedfordshire with her husband, Henry.
Author Q&A
What inspired you to write the Isadora Moon series? There is actually quite a bit of history behind Isadora Moon. About ten years ago, on my art foundation course, I created a character called Victoria Stitch and wrote and illustrated a picture book about her. She was a grown up, naughty, slightly gothic, fairy type character and she had a Pink Rabbit who she always dragged around with her. Victoria Stitch became like my alter ego and I always kept her close to me and worked on her in my spare time. Over the years she evolved. She started with pink hair and then she turned even more gothic looking with black, messy hair and with bat wings instead of fairy wings. As my style of illustration changed, she changed too. She is extremely special to me. However, whenever I showed Victoria Stitch to publishers I was always told that she was ‘too mean,’ ‘too naughty,’ ‘too spiky,’ ‘not child friendly.’ Looking back, I can see what they mean. I decided to create a new, separate character who would be more suitable for children but with the black/pink/gothic aesthetics of Victoria Stitch - a younger, friendlier, sweeter version. So Isadora Moon was born! I also gave Isadora Moon fangs (unlike Victoria Stitch) as when I started to think about the backstory for her (why she has batwings, what species is she etc…) it made sense that her mum was a fairy and her dad was a vampire. This is why Isadora Moon is so special to me – because she was born out of a real passion project of mine. I absolutely adore her.
If you had to choose, would you rather be a vampire or a fairy? I would definitely be a fairy because I love nature. Ideally I would be a miniature fairy, not a human size fairy, because I like the idea of being tiny. Also I would love to have fairy wings and naturally pink hair!
In a nutshell: half vampire, half fairy, all fun Harriet Muncaster’s stories of little Isadora Moon have deservedly won a huge and enthusiastic following amongst young readers. Isadora’s lively adventures are full of the kinds of magic and make-believe that has real appeal for children, while the descriptions of her mixed family (Dad’s a vampire, Mum’s a fairy) ring very true too. In this episode, Isadora is excited to be going to a human fair, but when she and her family arrive, they find the rides are looking very battered and forlorn. A few touches of magic turns the fair into something very special indeed, but for Isadora the best fun of all is simply spending happy times with her family and friends. The illustrations are full of charm and the short chapters makes this truly accessible to newly independent readers. ~ Andrea Reece A message from the author about her inspiration for the character of Isadora Moon : There is actually quite a bit of history behind Isadora Moon. About ten years ago, on my art foundation course, I created a character called Victoria Stitch and wrote and illustrated a picture book about her. She was a grown up, naughty, slightly gothic, fairy type character and she had a Pink Rabbit who she always dragged around with her. Victoria Stitch became like my alter ego and I always kept her close to me and worked on her in my spare time. Over the years she evolved. She started with pink hair and then she turned even more gothic looking with black, messy hair and with bat wings instead of fairy wings. As my style of illustration changed, she changed too. She is extremely special to me. However, whenever I showed Victoria Stitch to publishers I was always told that she was ‘too mean,’ ‘too naughty,’ ‘too spiky,’ ‘not child friendly.’ Looking back, I can see what they mean. I decided to create a new, separate character who would be more suitable for children but with the black/pink/gothic aesthetics of Victoria Stitch - a younger, friendlier, sweeter version. So Isadora Moon was born! I also gave Isadora Moon fangs (unlike Victoria Stitch) as when I started to think about the backstory for her (why she has batwings, what species is she etc…) it made sense that her mum was a fairy and her dad was a vampire. This is why Isadora Moon is so special to me – because she was born out of a real passion project of mine. I absolutely adore her. The series comprises: Isadora Moon Goes to School Isadora Moon Goes Camping Isadora Moon Goes to the Ballet Isadora Moon Has a Birthday Isadora Moon Goes on a School Trip Isadora Moon Goes to the Fair
In a nutshell: half-vampire, half-fairy, Isadora makes a new friend Lively, told in short chapters and filled with illustrations this appealing series is perfect for newly independent readers. They’ll certainly be very taken with the eponymous Isadora: daughter of a vampire dad and fairy mum her heritage means she’s a bit of both, as reflected in the books’ pink and black colour scheme. In this adventure her class goes on a school trip to a local castle. Isadora and her dad discover a lonely little ghost and hope he’ll make new friends among Isadora’s classmates. But when the other children see him, they immediately run away in fear. It’s only when Isadora helps them see Oscar as another playfellow rather than as a ghost that they realise how much they like him. Fun and original, with an important message deftly delivered. ~ Andrea Reece A message from the author about her inspiration for the character of Isadora Moon : There is actually quite a bit of history behind Isadora Moon. About ten years ago, on my art foundation course, I created a character called Victoria Stitch and wrote and illustrated a picture book about her. She was a grown up, naughty, slightly gothic, fairy type character and she had a Pink Rabbit who she always dragged around with her. Victoria Stitch became like my alter ego and I always kept her close to me and worked on her in my spare time. Over the years she evolved. She started with pink hair and then she turned even more gothic looking with black, messy hair and with bat wings instead of fairy wings. As my style of illustration changed, she changed too. She is extremely special to me. However, whenever I showed Victoria Stitch to publishers I was always told that she was ‘too mean,’ ‘too naughty,’ ‘too spiky,’ ‘not child friendly.’ Looking back, I can see what they mean. I decided to create a new, separate character who would be more suitable for children but with the black/pink/gothic aesthetics of Victoria Stitch - a younger, friendlier, sweeter version. So Isadora Moon was born! I also gave Isadora Moon fangs (unlike Victoria Stitch) as when I started to think about the backstory for her (why she has batwings, what species is she etc…) it made sense that her mum was a fairy and her dad was a vampire. This is why Isadora Moon is so special to me – because she was born out of a real passion project of mine. I absolutely adore her. The series comprises: Isadora Moon Goes to School Isadora Moon Goes Camping Isadora Moon Goes to the Ballet Isadora Moon Has a Birthday Isadora Moon Goes on a School Trip
Isadora Moon is an adorable, friendly Vampire Fairy trying to find her way and this is a lovely start to what promises to be a delightful series. Beautifully presented throughout with pink and black illustrations that alongside the text and easy to follow chapters make this a lovely step up book for newly independent readers. Isadora's mum (a fairy) and her dad (a vampire) decide it’s time for her to go to school and choose between a school for vampires or a school fairies. However Isadora is unsure where she belongs and after spending a day at fairy school and a night at vampire school she decides that she isn’t very good at being either a vampire or a fairy and begins to question how different she is. But with the help of Pink Rabbit and some new friends Isadora soon learns that it’s okay to be different. In fact it’s pretty great to just be yourself. ~ Shelley Fallows A message from the author about her inspiration for the character of Isadora Moon : There is actually quite a bit of history behind Isadora Moon. About ten years ago, on my art foundation course, I created a character called Victoria Stitch and wrote and illustrated a picture book about her. She was a grown up, naughty, slightly gothic, fairy type character and she had a Pink Rabbit who she always dragged around with her. Victoria Stitch became like my alter ego and I always kept her close to me and worked on her in my spare time. Over the years she evolved. She started with pink hair and then she turned even more gothic looking with black, messy hair and with bat wings instead of fairy wings. As my style of illustration changed, she changed too. She is extremely special to me. However, whenever I showed Victoria Stitch to publishers I was always told that she was ‘too mean,’ ‘too naughty,’ ‘too spiky,’ ‘not child friendly.’ Looking back, I can see what they mean. I decided to create a new, separate character who would be more suitable for children but with the black/pink/gothic aesthetics of Victoria Stitch - a younger, friendlier, sweeter version. So Isadora Moon was born! I also gave Isadora Moon fangs (unlike Victoria Stitch) as when I started to think about the backstory for her (why she has batwings, what species is she etc…) it made sense that her mum was a fairy and her dad was a vampire. This is why Isadora Moon is so special to me – because she was born out of a real passion project of mine. I absolutely adore her. The series comprises: Isadora Moon Goes to School Isadora Moon Goes Camping Isadora Moon Goes to the Ballet Isadora Moon Has a Birthday
Adorable, friendly Vampire Fairy Isadora Moon returns and this time she and Pink Rabbit are on a school trip to the ballet. Isadora adores the ballet, especially when she's wearing her black tutu and can’t wait to see a real show at the theatre with the rest of her class. Isadora’s parents are coming along too though and Isadora is worried that they might not be quite the same as the other parents. But then disaster strikes when Pink Rabbit goes missing and Isadora suddenly bigger problems to face. Can she find him before the curtain rises? This delightful series is beautifully presented throughout with pink and black illustrations that alongside the text and easy to follow chapters make this a lovely step up book for newly (or soon to be) independent readers. ~ Shelley Fallows A message from the author about her inspiration for the character of Isadora Moon : There is actually quite a bit of history behind Isadora Moon. About ten years ago, on my art foundation course, I created a character called Victoria Stitch and wrote and illustrated a picture book about her. She was a grown up, naughty, slightly gothic, fairy type character and she had a Pink Rabbit who she always dragged around with her. Victoria Stitch became like my alter ego and I always kept her close to me and worked on her in my spare time. Over the years she evolved. She started with pink hair and then she turned even more gothic looking with black, messy hair and with bat wings instead of fairy wings. As my style of illustration changed, she changed too. She is extremely special to me. However, whenever I showed Victoria Stitch to publishers I was always told that she was ‘too mean,’ ‘too naughty,’ ‘too spiky,’ ‘not child friendly.’ Looking back, I can see what they mean. I decided to create a new, separate character who would be more suitable for children but with the black/pink/gothic aesthetics of Victoria Stitch - a younger, friendlier, sweeter version. So Isadora Moon was born! I also gave Isadora Moon fangs (unlike Victoria Stitch) as when I started to think about the backstory for her (why she has batwings, what species is she etc…) it made sense that her mum was a fairy and her dad was a vampire. This is why Isadora Moon is so special to me – because she was born out of a real passion project of mine. I absolutely adore her. The series comprises: Isadora Moon Goes to School Isadora Moon Goes Camping Isadora Moon Goes to the Ballet Isadora Moon Has a Birthday
Adorable, friendly Vampire Fairy Isadora Moon returns and this time she and Pink Rabbit are on a school trip to the ballet. Isadora adores the ballet, especially when she's wearing her black tutu and can’t wait to see a real show at the theatre with the rest of her class. Isadora’s parents are coming along too though and Isadora is worried that they might not be quite the same as the other parents. But then disaster strikes when Pink Rabbit goes missing and Isadora suddenly bigger problems to face. Can she find him before the curtain rises? This delightful series is beautifully presented throughout with pink and black illustrations that alongside the text and easy to follow chapters make this a lovely step up book for newly (or soon to be) independent readers. ~ Shelley Fallows A message from the author about her inspiration for the character of Isadora Moon : There is actually quite a bit of history behind Isadora Moon. About ten years ago, on my art foundation course, I created a character called Victoria Stitch and wrote and illustrated a picture book about her. She was a grown up, naughty, slightly gothic, fairy type character and she had a Pink Rabbit who she always dragged around with her. Victoria Stitch became like my alter ego and I always kept her close to me and worked on her in my spare time. Over the years she evolved. She started with pink hair and then she turned even more gothic looking with black, messy hair and with bat wings instead of fairy wings. As my style of illustration changed, she changed too. She is extremely special to me. However, whenever I showed Victoria Stitch to publishers I was always told that she was ‘too mean,’ ‘too naughty,’ ‘too spiky,’ ‘not child friendly.’ Looking back, I can see what they mean. I decided to create a new, separate character who would be more suitable for children but with the black/pink/gothic aesthetics of Victoria Stitch - a younger, friendlier, sweeter version. So Isadora Moon was born! I also gave Isadora Moon fangs (unlike Victoria Stitch) as when I started to think about the backstory for her (why she has batwings, what species is she etc…) it made sense that her mum was a fairy and her dad was a vampire. This is why Isadora Moon is so special to me – because she was born out of a real passion project of mine. I absolutely adore her. The series comprises: Isadora Moon Goes to School Isadora Moon Goes Camping Isadora Moon Goes to the Ballet Isadora Moon Has a Birthday
Adorable, friendly Vampire Fairy Isadora Moon returns and this time it’s her birthday! Isadora loves human birthday parties and is excited now to be having her very own. But her parents are organizing it and as her mum is a fairy and her dad a vampire she know it’s not going to be like the parties she’s been to before. This delightful series is beautifully presented throughout with pink and black illustrations that alongside the text and easy to follow chapters make this a lovely step up book for newly (or soon to be) independent readers. ~ Shelley Fallows A message from the author about her inspiration for the character of Isadora Moon : There is actually quite a bit of history behind Isadora Moon. About ten years ago, on my art foundation course, I created a character called Victoria Stitch and wrote and illustrated a picture book about her. She was a grown up, naughty, slightly gothic, fairy type character and she had a Pink Rabbit who she always dragged around with her. Victoria Stitch became like my alter ego and I always kept her close to me and worked on her in my spare time. Over the years she evolved. She started with pink hair and then she turned even more gothic looking with black, messy hair and with bat wings instead of fairy wings. As my style of illustration changed, she changed too. She is extremely special to me. However, whenever I showed Victoria Stitch to publishers I was always told that she was ‘too mean,’ ‘too naughty,’ ‘too spiky,’ ‘not child friendly.’ Looking back, I can see what they mean. I decided to create a new, separate character who would be more suitable for children but with the black/pink/gothic aesthetics of Victoria Stitch - a younger, friendlier, sweeter version. So Isadora Moon was born! I also gave Isadora Moon fangs (unlike Victoria Stitch) as when I started to think about the backstory for her (why she has batwings, what species is she etc…) it made sense that her mum was a fairy and her dad was a vampire. This is why Isadora Moon is so special to me – because she was born out of a real passion project of mine. I absolutely adore her. The series comprises: Isadora Moon Goes to School Isadora Moon Goes Camping Isadora Moon Goes to the Ballet Isadora Moon Has a Birthday Isadora Moon Goes on a School Trip
Isadora Moon is special because she's different. Her mum is a fairy and her dad is a vampire and she's a bit of both. Isadora loves playing in the snow, especially when her creations come to life! But snow magic can't last forever. Will she be able to save her new friends before they melt away? And that's not all! This beautiful gift edition is also bursting with magical activities and things to make and do, providing hours of fun with Isadora and Pink Rabbit! With irresistible pink and black artwork throughout by author/illustrator Harriet Muncaster and a totally unique heroine with an out-of-this-world family, this is a beautiful, charming, and funny series of first chapter books. Perfect for fans of Claude, Dixie O'Day, and Squishy McFluff, Isadora Moon is the ideal choice for readers who want their magic and sparkle with a bit of bite!
A little girl believes her mother is a good witch, and she is a special witch's cat. Together, they're out to find the perfect Halloween costume. But what could be better than being a witch's cat? To create the whimsical world of Witch's Cat, author-illustrator Harriet Muncaster handcrafted miniature three-dimensional scenes using paper, foil, fabric, and other materials, then photographed them for a truly magical look. Readers will love discovering all the dazzling, tiny details in the charming world Muncaster has created. With plenty of witchy magic and sparkle, this not-too-spooky story is a Halloween treat that will be enjoyed throughout the year.
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