Magpie and the Sparkling Words by Lucy Rowland

A heartening rhyming picture book that celebrates the natural world with a vocabulary-rich story from award-winning, bestselling author Lucy Rowland and illustrations sparkling with joy from Craig Shuttlewood.

In a MYSTICAL wood stood a MAGICAL tree - the home of BRILLIANT Magpie. From her nest, Magpie listens to the wonderful words of her fellow woodland animals.

Words with a sparkle, a shimmer, a shine, entwined in her nest in the tree. She gathered them up and giggled, "They're mine - these sparkling words just for me!"But eventually, the other animals stay quiet so their words aren't being whisked away. Only then does Magpie realise that the silent wood doesn't glitter in the same way as before.

After a storm destroys Magpie's nest, and sends her stash of sparkling words zooming back out into the forest, she finally learns that it is unity, kindness and sharing language that makes the words sparkle. This lyrical story effortlessly weaves exciting vocabulary alongside important themes of sharing, kindness and teamwork, encouraging readers to find the fun in literacy and share sparkling words with each other. This powerful picture book is perfect for story time and children's language development.

The ideal bookshelf companion to The Lost Words, The Word Collector and The Pencil.

Illustrated by:Craig Shuttlewood
Format:Paperback / softback 40 pages
Publisher:Bonnier Books Ltd
Imprint:Bonnier Books Ltd
ISBN:9781835871270
Published:21 May 2026
Classifications:Interest age: from c 5 years, Picture storybooks, Poetry (Children's / Teenage), General fiction (Children's / Teenage), Animal stories (Children's / Teenage), Literature, books & writers (Children’s/Teenage), Wildlife (Children's / Teenage), Personal & social issues (Children's / Teenage), Personal & social issues: self-awareness & self-esteem (Children's / Teenage), Personal & social issues: truancy & school problems (Children's / Teenage)
Weight:214g