June 1, 2018
An unseen narrator tells Fairy (and readers) what her first day of school will be like.A ladybug wakes Fairy in her flower bed, and the petite, pale-skinned fairy with big, scribbly black hair joins her mother for breakfast before riding the "schoolbird." From meeting the teacher and new friends to hanging up backpacks on dandelion leaves and following the rules, Heos covers the basics, even mentioning activity centers, circle time, and classroom jobs, as the routine of the day is established. Readers will delight in the fairy details in Not's charming illustrations that give this school tale its magic: wands; live ladybugs as math counters; spells, art, and tooth centers; flying (both with their own wings and on the backs of birds); napping in tree branches; and enjoying storytime within a bird's round nest. While the child fairies display diverse body types (and wing shapes!) and realistic proportions, the five adult fairies depicted (two moms, two dads, and female teacher) have impossibly tiny waists. Three children and two adults have dark skin; four kids and three adults have light skin; two characters wear glasses. A fairy twist on the first day of school; add wands to the shopping list. (Picture book. 3-6)
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August 1, 2018
PreS-K-An attempt to appeal to fairy-loving preschoolers, this adorably illustrated guide is less like a story and more like a list of do's and don'ts and what to expect going to school for the first time. The young fairy's mother tries to allay any worries she might have about making friends, taking naps, or eating lunch by explaining each activity in detail. The activities will be familiar to very young children and the story adds occasional fairy details like sitting "crisscross berrysauce," waving one's wand to clean up, or feeding the classroom pet firefly. Though reassuring in its sequence and tone, its language and length will likely lose its intended audience. VERDICT In a crowded field of back-to-school books, this fairy-inspired option fails to take flight.-Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH
Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2018
Fairy's mom primes her for the first day of school: Fairy might have to feed the class firefly; she should quietly raise her wand if she has something to say; etc. There's enough sound advice beneath all the fairy dust for the book to comfort even fairy-indifferent students-to-be. Not's pencil and digital-media art is clean-lined but ultra-cutesy.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)