The Enchanted Pearl

Saturday was market day for Sala and her mother, and Sala woke early that morning. She enjoyed all the smells of the fresh fruit; the golden pineapples, the piles of pawpaw, bright yellow bananas; and the huge bags of Indian spices. Their shopping bags were getting very heavy. Mother bought the same Fijian vegetables every week: taro, sweet potatoes, rourou, spinach, eggplant, tomatoes, and onions too. Sala went into her favourite shop and wandered, amongst the toys for a while, but soon she felt sleepy, and stumbled over a large box behind a big cupboard. She couldn’t believe her eyes! It was full of enormous toy tigers! She gazed at them, rubbed her eyes, and stared again. The biggest tiger seemed to be winking at her; his beautiful blue-green eyes moving back and forth. “Gwarrrr…..” he roared. “I’m called Raja, King of the tigers!”

The Enchanted Pearl by Mary Cottam is a tale based on the life and times of poor Fijian villagers. Sala, a small Fijian girl goes on a shopping trip with her mother and friends. The amazing adventure starts when Sala falls into a large box full of toy tigers in a department store and is transported into the adventure of a lifetime with her friend Raja, King of the Tigers and many other friends.

Mary Cottam trained in the United Kingdom for Art and Design. Mary lived for a time in Fiji—the locale and inspiration for The Enchanted Pearl. Her work has been displayed in many exhibitions, including the Opera House Exhibition and at Darling Harbour. Now Mary enjoys writing and illustrating books for children.