THE FAIRY GARDEN

Mimi tends her garden in hopes that its perfection will draw a visit from fairies.

Every morning, a young girl named Mimi dedicates herself to ensuring her garden is in tiptop shape. She pulls weeds, flicks caterpillars off of leaves, and sprays insecticide to keep bugs away. All that work and still the fairies never come. When they finally appear, it is with a word of caution about the destruction perfection demands: raked-up leaves destroy cozy nests, and bug spray makes caterpillars sick. For a garden to be a good fairy home, it has to be wild. At the outset, Buckthorn’s story seems to be merely a sweet tale, but it is truly an environmental fable. The moral of the story is as loud and clear as the reproachful expressions on the faces of the three fairies and their pet caterpillar. Mazzanti’s illustrations feature lovely fairy-tale landscapes and luscious greenery and capture the delicate magic of fairies and the wonder of childhood. The attention to detail is spectacular. A double-page spread of sequential art showing Mimi’s fairy watch from sunset to sunrise uses subtle changes in purples and oranges, expertly conveying the passage of time. Mimi and her family members have pale skin, as do two of the fairies. The other fairy has brown skin. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A heavy-handed cautionary tale that’s softened by rich and ethereal illustrations.