FARA, THE SOCCER FAIRY

A soccer-loving fairy’s big leg gets her into and out of big trouble in this fantastical British import.

Small of size but bursting with personality in Avgustinovich’s painterly illustrations, Fara—depicted with brown skin, tight cornrows, and diaphanous wings—likes nothing better than “to PICK UP / and FLICK UP / and KICK UP a ball!” Unfortunately, when her toe connects with a certain apple that her aunt had intended for Snow White and smashes a very special mirror on the wall, followed by another disaster involving a pumpkin at midnight and a fancy dress ball, she’s banished from court. “Fairies are meant to go flying and flitting. / They shouldn’t play soccer! It’s simply not fitting.” Alone in the forest later that night, she rouses a huge troll by angrily kicking a ball into a cave. Could this be the end? But instead of eating her, the troll invites her to join the “Happily Ever After” soccer club. On she goes to become the toast of all the soccer fans in fairyland. Upbeat text and energetic visuals combine for a goofy fractured fairy tale ideal for sports fans. Most of the human figures in the illustrations are, like Fara, dark-skinned.

Shoots and scores on behalf of ball players of all sizes.