An author and illustrator duo are set to take the literary world by storm with a new series of children’s books. 

Peggy Flo, from Coggeshall, and Charles Barry, from Wakes Colne, have poured their hearts and souls into the creation of Hafro and his world. 

Hafro, a mix of hare and frog, stems from Peggy’s imagination when she helped her daughter with a writing assignment and could not forget about him. 

Now, the fourth part of the series will soon be on the shelves, once again following the exploits of Hafro and his friends. 

Gazette:

Peggy and Charles are very much in sync when it comes to the fantastic world they have created. 

Peggy said: “Every character that Charles has come up with actually fits my imagination.

"I don't give him any input, he just has the text and when I look at what he feeds back when he's done, I think ‘Wow, that's exactly what I imagined it to look like’.” 

Peggy says it has always been important to highlight Charles' work, as his illustrations are an essential part of the books. 

“Without his drawings, there wouldn’t be a book," she said.

"It’s the images that make the stories and all the characters in it make it come to life.” 

Writing and illustrating the books can take up to 18 months, yet drawing the characters has become easier with time, said Charles. 

He said: “It takes me as an artist around 300 hours to draw the first book. But it’s becoming easier now because I don’t have to make up the main characters anymore and just need to move them around.” 

Gazette: Book - Peggy Flo and Charles Barry are the creators of Hafro, a frog-hare and hero of a series of

Each book is written in rhyme and carries a moral message, whether it is taking care of the environment, working together or just that small acts can make a difference to someone in need. 

Peggy’s dream is for the books to reach more children and pave the way to seeing reading as a fun activity. 

She said: “But what we really want is for them to take off. I believe in them and I think there is a lot of potential there. 

“Reading is very important and I feel like children don’t get in touch with a lot of rhyme in literature anymore. 

“Even if the book reaches 12 kids and makes a difference, that would be great, but we’re hoping to get the word out even more.” 

Hafro and the Pinkersnub will be available this summer, with a release date to be announced soon. 

The other adventures, aimed at children aged four to eight, can be bought online on Amazon and Waterstones.