INTO FAIRYLAND

Fairies flit between heaven and Earth invisibly spreading love and all that is good to imaginative children.

The fairies of Irish folklore are often feared for their mischievous, dangerous antics, but in this illustrated poetry book, the Gaelic-speaking fluttery spirits are sweet and playful. You can’t touch them or catch them in a jar, nor can you see them (though dogs and cats can), save for quick glimmers and glints. Yet their influence is everywhere: Snow is the result of their midnight magic, as are early spring blossoms and most other weather phenomena; common household dust is fairies sprinkling their cheer; and they watch over you when you sleep, turning your teardrops into stars. Children who wish to join in on all the fairy fun—go windsurfing in the sky, attend a musical festival, open a treasure chest—can do so in their dreams. The author explains fairy ways in singsong-y rhyming poems split into four sections, one for each season of the year. Illustrations are whimsical and full of color, but their style and allure varies from page to page. Some drawings—rosy-cheeked children, castles, long-lashed flying fairies—were clearly done by hand, but those delicate, beautiful sketches sit beside garish computer graphics that resemble Microsoft Paint doodles. While far from masterly (and with too many exclamation points), the simple, earnest poems should satisfy most pre-k readers. Only one poem, about a fairy queen searching for her king, has a plot and characters, and although those literary features are welcome, they’re also out of place among the other, one-dimensional poems.

Tooth fairy and Tinkerbell fans will enjoy learning more about this breed of magical creature.