I’ve always loved stories about people who magically change shape. I love the idea of gaining the powers and strengths of an animal or bird (would you want to soar in the sky like a hawk, or run as fast as a hare?) But I also love the drama and danger of being trapped as an animal (would you want to be turned into a swan, or a dragon, with no power to change yourself back?) I love playing with both the advantages and the disadvantages of shape-shifting. I’ve been inspired by old tales of shape-shifters when I’ve been creating my own new adventures, and now I’ve gathered lots of my favourite shape-shifters (wolves and snakes, foxes and frogs, buzzards and butterflies, from Scotland and France, England and Egypt, Mexico and Japan…) into one collection, with gorgeous pictures by Francesca Greenwood. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you’re inspired by these shape-changers too!