December 15, 2017
In this gentle picture book, a sturdy, redheaded, rosy-cheeked girl searches for fairies in her backyard--and invites readers to come along. Have you ever found, while out on your own... // A tiny, magical somebody's home? // Or sensed a fluttering, flickering flight... / gone when you turn, just out of sight?" the protagonist asks. On each spread, the girl and readers search for fairies and other magical creatures; the girl "sees" the magic but keeps missing the little magicians, which will greatly amuse young readers, who will delight in spotting them. "You might leave an offering, / then you discover, / it's vanished by morning, / replaced with another." Here the girl misses at least three fairies as she gazes at a nest in the middle of a fairy ring. When the girl wonders whether the fairies are out there at all, the fairies finally reply--by placing a floral fairy crown on her head. Wahl's old-time-y, vignette-style illustrations, done in watercolor, colored pencil, and collage, depicting vibrant woodlands evoke classic, Western fairy-tale tropes, and the playful, hand-drawn text reinforces the lightness and sprightliness of the subject matter. Though quite different in subject, Wahl's sophomore effort is just as delightful as her 2015 debut, Sonya's Chickens. Human-shaped fairies display a range of skin tones.This gently magical outing will appeal not only to longtime lovers of European folklore, but also to fans of the popular "fairy door" phenomenon. (Picture book. 4-8)
COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 8, 2018
Even if a person never sees a fairy, isn’t searching for them enough? Wahl (Sonya’s Chickens) suggests that the answer is yes, pairing a bewitching poem with folksy mixed-media collages. Working in gouache, pencil, and other materials, she creates a landscape dense with vegetation outside a girl’s wood-shingled home, perfect for hiding fairies, sprites, and other tiny beings. “Have you ever found, while out on your own.../ A tiny, magical somebody’s home?” she begins, as the rosy-cheeked, freckled girl sprawls in the dirt, peering into a hollow stump. Tucked behind a toadstool, for readers’ eyes only, sits an elf, puffing on a bubble pipe. Beyond the luscious, lulling verse, a substantial part of the book’s enjoyment comes from seeing what the girl does not. “Where are they?!” she wonders during a midnight excursion; a cutaway reveals a subterranean party in full swing just beneath her feet, where small mythical creatures dance, feast, and cavort in pointy hats and petal gowns. Readers are all but certain to take a closer look at their environs for evidence of magic in their midst. Ages 3–7. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary.
January 1, 2018
Preschool-G A rosy-cheeked girl is convinced fairies live in her backyard, but she never sees them. She hears whispers of music, senses fluttering movement, and searches the woods at nightto no avail. Luckily for readers, Wahl's enchanting collage illustrations reveal what the girl can't see: tiny, luminous sprites in bright clothes made of flowers, some adorned with insect wings, hiding in tree stumps, under logs, and in a thicket of thorns. Her stylish compositions in thick, rich natural tones have a tactile quality, thanks to the layering of cut paper and fabric, which beautifully evokes a lush, mossy forest. Meanwhile, a lilting rhyme captures the girl's wonder: You wind through a forest of branches and brambles. / The woods are awake, making way for your rambles. While the fairies are surely magical, Wahl makes the forest itself just as bewitching, with a wide variety of plants, flowers, animals, and moon-white mushrooms. Little ones will likely enjoy poring over the detailed scenes, and a sweet surprise ending adds to the entrancing atmosphere.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2018
A sturdy, rosy-cheeked, pig-tailed girl searches home, garden, and forest for the fairies that she senses are all around her. Clever and richly colored, the paint and collage illustrations show fairies in all their variety, earthiness, and hedonism, always just out of her sight (but not the book's viewers'). After the girl gives up in frustration, the fairies leave her a gift, making for a happy ending.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)