TINY JENNY

Jenny isn’t your typical fairy.

Born to a wren family who lovingly names her Tiny Jenny, the young fairy resembles a pointy-eared little human child. Tiny Jenny has no wings, but she gets up to plenty of mischief without them, prompting an owl to advise her to seek out her kin. The fairy queen offers Jenny the opportunity to earn a pair of wings. But to her dismay, the fairies turn out to be cruel—they “smashed and stole stuff” and almost attacked her wren family before she stopped them. In the end, she eats all the mushrooms in their fairy ring to force them to leave. Safely back in the nest, Jenny’s pleased to be home and opts to stop making mischief…for the most part. Smith depicts lush, textured forest scenes, dappled with warm, Thomas Kinkade–esque glows and moody shadows. The romantic art style and language (the fairies “wended their way through the forest” in search of “plunder”) evoke an older sensibility. While the illustrations are arresting and the innocent cheek is somewhat charming, the story contains a bit too much text to captivate the younger readers who would otherwise appreciate the simple tone. Jenny and the fairy queen are tan-skinned; the other fairies are diverse.

Vivid illustrations will hold readers’ attention, though the text may leave them cold.