The Silver Moon Storybook is a collection of seven short stories by debut novelist Elaine Gunn. Each story is a modern fairy tale and is pro-feminist or pro-women how every you want to word it. It a book filled with stories where the woman doesn’t need saving or will give up everything for Prince Charming. These are tales to empower women.

I was in two minds at first about this book – before reading it – As I’m not a feminist in the way some think of feminism. I’m an equalist and I believe that men and woman should be equal. If you do the same job you should be paid the same, there should be no jobs not available because of gender and so on.

The seven stories include:-
– The Little Witch
– The Weaver
– The Enormous Clown
– The Changeling
– The Unicorn
– The Strong Man
– The Sea Queen

Some of the stories are interwoven with others and this was a nice touch. The books are very much tales of different aspects of life and you may find yourself reasoning with each of the stories. Each story was also unique and different. Normally when I review short story books I find some that are outstanding and others that I don’t really care for much. This book though the stories were all enjoyable, thought-provoking and poignant.

Ms. Gunn certainly has a way with words and knows how to hold your attention to the pages as reading felt effortless. As well as the brilliant writing there are also illustrations by Megan Macphie throughout that Ms. Gunn has said would be lovely for people to colour them in (she did intend to make the book a colouring book). If the thoughts of colouring in a book makes you gasp in horror you can also download the illustrations from Ms. Gunn’s website.

The Silver Moon Storybook is beautiful both on the inside and out and has been written with the reader in mind. It would make a fabulous present and be a wonderful book for an older child or a YA reader to have in their collection, as well as adults.

About the Author

Elaine Gunn has been writing more or less constantly since she first picked up a pencil in primary school. Years of unpublished literary genius languish in handwritten journals, high school English portfolios, corporate banking reports and various awful pitch documents full of impeccably-written digital marketing jargon.

Her first published work, The Silver Moon Storybook, is a collection of feminist fairy tales, written as an antidote to the passive princess culture that she became horribly aware of when her children started watching telly. Elaine is also a reiki practitioner and Dr. Hauschka esthetician.