Long ago and far away, a magic callaloo plant grew in a village square. Whoever ate one of its leaves was granted a wish. But a greedy selfish man wanted all the wishes for himself so he stole the callaloo.

With only one leaf left, Mister and Missus, desperate for a child, pluck it to make their dream come true. But the greedy man wants everything and he kidnaps their beloved daughter, who will ultimately make the most remarkable escape.

The Magic Callaloo is a kind of retelling of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel but also a retelling of the stories the author was told about her African ancestors and their escapes from their enslavers.

In a small village, there was a callaloo plant. The plant was not an ordinary plant though, it was magical. It had the power to give one wish to the person who ate one of its leaves. That was until a greedy and selfish man wanted the plant all for himself and what was left was just one leaf.

The last leaf was heavily guarded but a couple who were desperate for a child fought to get to it and they wished for a daughter with dire consequences for her. As she got older the greedy man realised who she was and took her to do as he commanded.

This children’s hardcover book may only be 32 pages long but it isn’t a picture book as there is so much text on each page. The story is quite long but well worth reading as it is simply beautiful.

There are amazing, bright, and colourful illustrations on every page that just pop and delight and complement the text perfectly.

Overall, The Magic Callaloo is a heart-warming and mesmerising book that I can see being cherished by its readers.

Trish Cooke is a British playwright, actress, television presenter, scriptwriter and children’s author who might be best known for being a presenter on the children’s series Playdays. She also wrote under the pseudonym Roselia John Baptiste.