This gently magical outing will appeal not only to longtime lovers of European folklore, but also to fans of the popular...
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)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5247-1527-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
PROFILES
Just the thing for anyone with a Grinch-y tree of their own in the yard.
A grouchy sapling on a Christmas tree farm finds that there are better things than lights and decorations for its branches.
A Grinch among the other trees on the farm is determined never to become a sappy Christmas tree—and never to leave its spot. Its determination makes it so: It grows gnarled and twisted and needle-less. As time passes, the farm is swallowed by the suburbs. The neighborhood kids dare one another to climb the scary, grumpy-looking tree, and soon, they are using its branches for their imaginative play, the tree serving as a pirate ship, a fort, a spaceship, and a dragon. But in winter, the tree stands alone and feels bereft and lonely for the first time ever, and it can’t look away from the decorated tree inside the house next to its lot. When some parents threaten to cut the “horrible” tree down, the tree thinks, “Not now that my limbs are full of happy children,” showing how far it has come. Happily for the tree, the children won’t give up so easily, and though the tree never wished to become a Christmas tree, it’s perfectly content being a “trick or tree.” Martinez’s digital illustrations play up the humorous dichotomy between the happy, aspiring Christmas trees (and their shoppers) and the grumpy tree, and the diverse humans are satisfyingly expressive.
Just the thing for anyone with a Grinch-y tree of their own in the yard. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-7335-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A Valentine’s tale that even the grumpiest readers won’t be able to resist.
A put-upon goblin learns to feel the love.
Gilbert, a bald, mint-green goblin, is far too busy for Valentine’s Day. From bird-watching to goat yoga, his schedule is full. Besides, “Valentine’s Day is all about love and flowers and all that other mushy malarkey”—Gilbert doesn’t need it! He isn’t interested in those heart-shaped boxes of candy with their gross coconut surprises, and he’s not a fan of the so-called stars of Valentine’s Day: cupids with their gorgeous hair and love arrows. But the cupid squad doesn’t give up on Gilbert and sends him zigging and zagging to avoid their arrows. Believing he’s been hit (in fact he unwittingly backed up into a cactus), Gilbert finds himself falling in love with love and eagerly accepting his friends’ valentines. Humor certain to please readers young and old is woven throughout Gilbert’s sassy narration and the candy-colored illustrations, which trace the goblin’s metamorphosis from sourpuss to lovebug. The reasons for Gilbert’s true change of heart—and why he was so loath to celebrate to begin with—are left unspoken, but readers may enjoy coming up with their own ideas. Front endpapers featuring candy hearts festooned with “meh” and “nope” capture the anti-Valentine vibe, while supportive cards from Gilbert’s friends can be found on the back endpapers.
A Valentine’s tale that even the grumpiest readers won’t be able to resist. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Dec. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9781665962612
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
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