FAIRY'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

An unseen narrator tells Fairy (and readers) what her first day of school will be like.

A ladybug wakes Fairy in her flower bed, and the petite, pale-skinned fairy with big, scribbly black hair joins her mother for breakfast before riding the “schoolbird.” From meeting the teacher and new friends to hanging up backpacks on dandelion leaves and following the rules, Heos covers the basics, even mentioning activity centers, circle time, and classroom jobs, as the routine of the day is established. Readers will delight in the fairy details in Not’s charming illustrations that give this school tale its magic: wands; live ladybugs as math counters; spells, art, and tooth centers; flying (both with their own wings and on the backs of birds); napping in tree branches; and enjoying storytime within a bird’s round nest. While the child fairies display diverse body types (and wing shapes!) and realistic proportions, the five adult fairies depicted (two moms, two dads, and female teacher) have impossibly tiny waists. Three children and two adults have dark skin; four kids and three adults have light skin; two characters wear glasses.

A fairy twist on the first day of school; add wands to the shopping list.