A FAIRY FRIEND

A little girl and her dog follow a series of recommended procedures from a book about fairies in order to find a fairy companion for the girl.

The story begins by explaining that fairies exist “all around you,” riding around on the backs of dragonflies. In rhyming text with just four lines per spread, the world of the fairies is introduced, with the omniscient narrator explaining how to attract a fairy of your own. The dark-haired, white child and her bulldog work together to build a fairy house in a tree, complete with a mushroom-cap bathtub, a bed covered in thistle fluff, and a cup of flower-petal stew. A flock of friendly fairies (one dark-skinned) flutters around the girl and her dog, and after further preparations, a redheaded white fairy lands on the child’s hand to be her special fairy friend. A dreamlike atmosphere prevails, with the fairies playing with the girl and dog and helping them to fly above the town and forest. Charming illustrations in a loose style use a muted palette of lavenders and blues to create a magical aura with swirling lines and tiny trails of stars following the fairies, who are mostly light-skinned, pretty creatures in the style of Tinker Bell à la Disney.

Enchanting stuff for lovers of fairies.