Review: Lamellia: The Wizard in the Forest by Gloria D. Gonsalves, Illustrated by Silja Schüler

A young mushroom heroine is the protagonist of Lamellia: The Wizard in the Forest, a whimsical and meaningful children’s book by Gloria D. Gonsalves. Family revelations, magical/musical defenses, and a heartwarming resolution round out this parable, which is accessible for a wide age range.

Tiara is the strong-willed protagonist of this beautifully illustrated children’s book. The princess of Lamellia, Tiara embarks on a quest to find a missing friend and discover the secret of her own past. Tiara was born a human, but was taken in by King Polipoli and Queen Nobilia after being orphaned in the forest of Eucalyptia. However, her adopted mother’s sad song made Tiara sick, so the queen was sent away and imprisoned, while the mushrooms of the forest cured and transformed the young princess.

Eager for an adventure, and always ready to help those in need, Tiara accompanies a group of Little Brown Mushrooms into the forest to find their missing friend. It isn’t long before they encounter the sinister witch of the Forest, Evilia, who has been capturing innocent mushrooms as a part of her cruel plot to destroy the kingdom. Standing up to Evilia, Tiara discovers the truth about her mother’s song and the growing sickness in the forest. The princess’ friends, the seemingly weak Little Brown Mushrooms, show how powerful they can be as a united group, and Queen Nobilia eventually performs a duet with her estranged daughter to overcome the antagonistic witch.

Despite featuring classic children’s story tropes – honorable underdogs, anthropomorphic heroes, and a straightforward plot – the Lamellia series is quite unique among children’s books. Heavily laden with symbolism relating to acceptance, race, cultural differences and oppression, this story is surprisingly dense for a children’s book, but the underlying message is continually compelling. Family loyalty, honest communication, and the need to find courage inside ourselves are other strong themes woven through these pages, lessons that are valuable to young readers. The rich illustrations are as fascinating as the text itself, so this story is an aesthetically pleasing read for parents as well, and one to be revisited.

In terms of the flow of the story, there are some confusing moments and unnecessary complications. The queen’s singing being both the danger and the salvation for the kingdom is a somewhat incongruous element, and the fact that Tiara transformed from human to mushroom didn’t seem to have any bearing on the overall storyline, which is necessary even if this was covered in earlier books in the series. The pace is also inconsistent – rushed at some moments and sluggish at others. In a children’s book with so few pages, each line of prose and dialogue should be progressive to the plot.

All told, the heart and soul of this installment of the Lamellia series are definitely in place, as Gonsalves has created a unique world and filled it with relevant wisdom for a younger generation, making The Wizard in the Forest a timely and engrossing read.