Autor/-in: Rod Bennett

Rod "Papa" Bennett is the Wizard of Owl Cottage. He writes old-fashioned fairy tales for his grandchildren, has a degree in botany, loves technology in all its myriad forms, and bakes bread. He lives with his wife, Catherine, in the American Midwest. Rod's stories grew from a lifelong affection for the natural world and from the tales he first imagined for his own family. His books blend enchanted woods, curious creatures, quiet humor, and the sense that magic may still be found just beyond the garden gate. The children in his stories encounter places that are beautiful but not entirely safe, adults who are wise but not infallible, and choices for which there are no simple answers. Courage, kindness, responsibility, and mercy matter more in his tales than spells or enchanted objects. His training in botany influences the landscapes of the Owl Cottage stories. Trees, wildflowers, berries, fungi, meadows, creeks, and woodland paths are not merely scenery. They help shape the story and give the hidden world its character. Many of the plants featured in his books are native to the central United States, while familiar cottage-garden plants appear where the setting calls for them. Rod hopes these details encourage young readers to notice the living world around them and perhaps to wonder what might be waiting in the woods, beneath an old stone wall, or beside an overlooked path. Before devoting more of his time to writing, Rod worked as a program manager, a career that encouraged careful planning, problem-solving, curiosity, and an appreciation for bringing complicated ideas together. Those habits now serve him well as he builds the interconnected places, histories, characters, and mysteries of Owl Cottage. His enthusiasm for technology continues through his home laboratory and other technical projects, providing a lively contrast to his love of old books, traditional storytelling, gardening, and bread baking. Rod writes in the spirit of the classic children's fantasies he has loved throughout his life: stories meant to be enjoyed by children but written with enough depth, wit, and moral complexity to reward the adults reading beside them. He believes children can understand that kindness requires wisdom, that bravery does not mean being unafraid, and that some doors should remain closed for good reasons. At the center of his work is family. The Wizard of Owl Cottage began as a way of sharing imagination, affection, and adventure with his grandchildren. What started as stories written especially for them has grown into a world he now welcomes other young readers and their families to explore. Through every hidden path and magical errand runs the same enduring purpose: to create stories that can be read aloud, remembered fondly, and passed from one generation to the next.