Why Fantasy Matters in the Real World

In a fast, noisy world filled with constant screens, social pressure, and endless distractions, children’s fantasy books offer something timeless and deeply needed: space to imagine, courage to grow, and hope beyond the ordinary. In this guest post, author Dawn Ford reflects on how imagination shaped her childhood, why fantasy still matters for today’s children, and how stories filled with wonder can point young readers toward truth, bravery, and the Creator behind every good story.

 

Imagination has always been a huge part of who I am. Growing up with three older brothers in a rural setting meant I played a lot by myself. Back in the 70s, I had no video games or internet to rely on. I spent hours in my room making up stories with my Barbies and paper dolls. I roamed pastures, climbed the hills, and threw rocks in the stream that meandered through the timbers. Stories with Frog and Toad were some of my favorites. It was easy to envision them playing in my backyard. Imagination was my best friend.

Today’s world is fast and noisy. There’s 24/7 streaming, information via the internet at your fingertips, and social pressure starts early. Children today are busier and more bombarded than I ever was. Books can be the safety net that grounds them in this modern frenzy.

I started writing when my kids were younger. Now that I have grandchildren, I want stories that will make a positive impact on them and on children everywhere. I recall how stories helped me as a shy child to step out of my comfort zone and incorporate the courage and fearlessness I read about. Writing about unforgettable characters in remarkable adventures my kids would dive into was my goal

Books leave immeasurable marks on our lives. I loved reading about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Little House on the Prairie, and the Boxcar Children. Who didn’t want to join Dorothy on her journey to find the great and powerful Oz? Did you feel as deceived as I did when I found Oz was simply a man behind the curtain? That love for adventure in those stories shapes the way I approach my writing today.

I get asked why I write fantasy and how I create the incredible elements in my books. Fantasy brings to life the supernatural, which opens the mind to possibilities. For me, it’s easier to form a world where I can create every component than try to fit my strange ideas into the real world. The options are endless, though the characters remain something a reader can identify with.

When I formed the cast for both of my series, I wanted to have a powerful message embedded between the lines. Similar themes can be found in both the Firebird and Band of Unlikely Heroes series. In the Firebird series, Tambrynn has to learn self-discipline and how to trust. In the Band of Unlikely Heroes, all the gang must bring their best to the table to overcome the foe. I wanted the reader to understand that what they see as a weakness can turn into a strength.

Each of my stories also has an element of magic in it. Every magic link ties into the Creator of the story. And though magic is present, it is the deeds and choices of each hero that bring about success. Isn’t that true in life as well?

Fantasy matters in today’s world just as much, if not more, than it did for me as a child. It opens the door to imagining possibilities beyond our comprehension. In a world filled with noise and pressure, fantasy still gives children something priceless: courage to imagine something greater.

 

Title: Woodencloak

Author: Dawn Ford

Genre: YA Speculative

Other books in this series: Mossycoat, Tatterhood, and Shadowcape

Thirteen-year-old troll princess Horra Fyd’s life changes forever after an unexpected visit from the fairy queen and her two daughters. Tales of fairies gave Horra nightmares as a young troll. Before evening falls, however, a real nightmare unfolds. Horra’s father, King Fyd, goes missing. Her woodgoblin instructor is poisoned and uses his magic to revert to a seed. And a mysterious, gaunt man wearing a cape and playing a panflute joins the fairies in trying to capture her.

Horra flees but is instantly lost in a world she’s never had to travel alone. A letter hidden in her knapsack from her late instructor informs her that a power hungry Erlking seeks revenge against her kingdom and their allies for a two-generation old war. She is tasked with getting his seed to the Weald, a magical forest. There it can regenerate into a druid, the only creature with the power to hold the balance between good and evil, and who is able to defeat the Erlking.

However, the Erlking is always one step behind her. Horra must fight to protect herself, but she has no magic. She accepts a gift from a dead druid spirit of a charmed woodencloak to disguise her. But magic failed her mother, how can she possibly trust it?

Can Horra have faith and courage enough to trust a power she can’t see, and become a warrior heroine her foremothers can be proud of? Or will she allow fear to rule over her and lose everything that matters—including her life?

 

Winner of the 2016 ACFW Genesis Award and finalist in the 2018 Grace Award and the 2020 Great Expectations Contest, Dawn has been recognized for her published and non-published works. Her flash fiction stories have been published in Havok magazine under both her real name and pen name, Jo Wonderly. Her debut novel, Knee-high Lies, was published in 2017.

As a child, Dawn often had her head in the clouds creating scenes and stories for anything and everything she came across. She believed there was magic everywhere, a sentiment she has never outgrown. Nature inspires her, and her love for the underdog and the unlikely hero colors much of what she writes.

Dawn adores anything Steampunk, is often distracted by shiny, pretty things, and her obsession with purses and shoes borders on hoarding. Dawn lives in Iowa and helps her husband run their foodservice and catering business out of Omaha, Nebraska. When not reading, writing, or catering, Dawn loves babysitting her grandchildren, is parent to Snickers the Wonder Beagle, and can usually be caught daydreaming.

You can learn more about Dawn Ford at her website: https://dawnfordauthor.com