- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 10–14
- Fantasy
The Waters and the Wild
A haunting verse novel about a girl who moves from the desert to a strange walled town in Ireland after her father's death, and finds warmth, hope and danger through a crack in the wall and a mysterious horse in the woods beyond.
- Best for10–14
- FormatIllustrated
- Length320 pp
- Read aloud~4 hr30 min
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Literary
Tone
- Bittersweet
- Melancholic
- Heartwarming
- Thought provoking
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Rowan was raised in the desert, where all she has ever known is sunshine, warmth and her beloved dad. Then he dies, and everything changes. Rowan and her grieving mother move to a cold, mysterious town in Ireland, his hometown, ringed by a strange and impenetrable wall. When Rowan discovers a crack in the barrier, she slips into the woods beyond and meets a peculiar horse, forging a connection that seems to bring back warmth and hope, but at a price. Following her acclaimed debut Fia and the Last Snow Deer, Eilish Fisher returns with another atmospheric novel in verse, illustrated by David Rooney. It is a spare, luminous story about mourning a parent, mothers and daughters seeking their way back to each other, and the pull of an old place with secrets of its own. Emotionally rich but never heavy-handed, it is a moving read for children navigating loss and change, and a beautiful next step for young readers discovering verse.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A verse novel for 10-14s reading independently, with subject matter, the death of a father and a mother's grief, that suits the upper end and older, thoughtful readers. Its emotional depth also gives it real crossover appeal for adults.
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- Best fit · 10–14
- Read aloud · 10–13
- Independent · 10–14
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
Moderate
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: death of parent, grief.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
2 / 5 · Use judgement
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Verse novel
- Grief and loss
- Myth and folklore
- Mother daughter
Avoid if
- Sensitive to parental death
- Wants light and funny
Particularly good for children who are…
- Bereavement
- Moving house
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Rowan is grieving and out of place in a strange walled town, and the discovery of a hidden gap in the wall, and the mysterious horse waiting in the woods, gives her a secret world of her own. The pull between comfort and danger keeps the verse turning.
- Secret world
- Talking to animals
- Being understood finally
Why parents love it
A luminous, carefully handled verse novel about losing a parent and finding a way through together. Fisher writes loss with real tenderness, and David Rooney's illustrations make it a beautiful, discussable read for older children.
- Great writing
- Beautiful illustrations
- Conversation starter
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
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Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
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