Worldwide in scope, thoroughly informative, teeming with relentlessly cute poppets.
A scientist’s survey of many types of fairies in their natural habitats.
Cast as the side project of a botanist from early last century (that would be the 1900s), this sumptuously produced scrapbook offers both general and clinical observations on dozens of fairy species—from tiny puffball fairies to (judging from the picture) the squirrel-sized mountain tunder—in gardens, homes, and wild climes ranging from tropical to arctic. Despite having wings (wingless varieties are called “elves”), hatching from eggs, and undergoing metamorphic life cycle transformations from legless “flutterpillars” to adult(ish) “moppets,” these nonmagical creatures are nonetheless classified as mammals by the fictive scientist. Roux follows suit in painted portraits of graceful, pointy-eared, anthropomorphic mites clad in discreet floral or leafy garb and sporting butterfly or insect wings. Rendered in the style of Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies, the diminutive figures maintain a white default but do show some variation in skin tones, hair types, and facial features. Stereotypically, all but one of the jungle fairies, including a “pygmy fairy,” are brown-skinned, but specimens resident in other habitats or in adjoining entries often make a diverse showing. Savvy advice for responsible fairy watchers closes this nearly comprehensive (tooth fairies turned out to be too “elusive” to glimpse) catalog.
Worldwide in scope, thoroughly informative, teeming with relentlessly cute poppets. (Fantasy. 10-13)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-78603-763-3
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A richly creative magical adventure about challenging an unfair status quo.
In Dantessa, where people’s Great Game rankings determine their status, Pia accepts a deadly challenge to save her grandfather.
Three hundred years ago, the prince of Dantessa challenged Death to a game and won. Now, magically arbitrated gaming drives the island’s culture, and 12-year-old Pia Paro is finally old enough to participate. Then her grandfather loses his status, and an arbiter of the game’s magical constructs disappears him to labor as a pawn. Desperate for the money that can save Gramps, Pia joins the Seafoxes, a team comprising four other impoverished players who are attempting the deadly game of noctis. The Seafoxes’ chances against wealthy teams (who can buy magical “boons” and cheat) are slim, though. Even harder is competing against a team that includes Renzo, Pia’s former best friend, whose actions lost Gramps his job and home. Perhaps the Seafoxes’ only chance is to change the rules. Dantessa’s Venetian-inspired world of canals and palazzos is intricately built, lush with sensory detail, and a vividly imagined magical gaming culture. Pia is a resilient, brave, and empathetic character. Struggling with the Great Game’s innate unfairness and Renzo’s inexplicable betrayal, she wants to follow her grandfather’s advice to play safe but risks it all for a chance at greater change. Both the lead and supporting characters are distinct and intriguing, and the action is expertly paced. Diversity in skin tone and sexuality is casually woven into the story.
A richly creative magical adventure about challenging an unfair status quo. (Fantasy. 10-13)Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781665930192
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
A sensitive, moving debut.
When 11-year-old Eric Harper begins caring for an injured unicorn, his life is changed by the choices he makes, the relationships he forms, and the secrets he uncovers.
Eric lives with his family on land that has belonged to Harpers for generations and shares a special bond with his grandmother. One day, Eric spies what he thinks is a white deer but quickly realizes is a white unicorn. Filled with the “most amazing feeling of comfort and happiness and excitement,” Eric follows the lame unicorn to the farmhouse his ailing grandmother recently sold to Dr. Brancusi, a veterinarian, and her daughter, Allegra. (All three characters appear to be white.) Dr. Brancusi senses Eric’s concern and asks him to help her treat the unicorn. Discovering the unicorn is pregnant with twins, Dr. Brancusi warns Eric they must keep her hidden until the babies are born and hires him to assist. Eric’s affinity to the unicorn deepens, and when she’s threatened and runs away, he frantically searches. In the end, although Eric experiences loss, he gains a special family connection. Despite the presence of supernatural creatures, Eric’s quiet, genuine, first-person voice tells a realistic story of family love and discovering one’s true self, the presence of the unicorn and other magical creatures adding just a touch of whimsy to a story about very real emotions, revealed in Green’s black-and-white illustrations.
A sensitive, moving debut. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: July 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-544-76112-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2017
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