Ana Sender

"...an intriguing, enchantingly rendered real fairy tale." - Kirkus Reviews Elsie and Frances feel sad for adults who simply can’t see the magic in the forests around them. If only they could see what we see. In 1918, Elsie Wright and her cousin Frances Griffith photographed fairies in their garden, in the small village of Cottingley (Yorkshire). Without expecting it, many people paid attention—including renowned writer and spiritualist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This is the story, narrated by Elsie herself, of the true events that led to the Cottingley Fairies becoming a international phenomenon.

The Cottingley Fairies

Blue

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THE STORY
Elsie and Frances know that fairies exist. They know because they spend their time in the forest playing with them. But the adult seem unable to share their enjoyment, full of worries as they are. What if the two girl photographed the Good Folk to show the grown-ups? But the adults take an unexpected interest in the photos and the two girls become an international phenomenon.


MY REVIEW
The story is fairly short and told in a brief, concise way. I sometimes felt like it could use more words, but you have to keep in mind it is aimed at small children (I'd say 0-3 years old). It would've been nice to get a page or two more about what happened after the photos became famous, to give a better idea of how big was this case back in the 19th century.
I knew the story before reading, but I enjoyed the way Ana Sender made it more fairytale-like; I especially liked how the author played with the ending. It leaves the reader with a halo of wonder that appeals to both kids and adults.

The illustrations are the best part of this book, in my opinion. I am in love with the art style: it is child-like, like Elsie draw it herself, and so colourful! I believe every kid will enjoy looking at them.
I also found the images to complement the text really well; every illustration is full of details that add to the story, which I'm sure will help the smallest readers to understand the narration better.

This is a wonderful book for kids! If you're a fairy tale enthusiast, like me, you will enjoy reading this book to your children. I will definitely gift a copy to my little nieces.

Story Eater

I’m not sure this book will appeal to any certain audience within a classified age group. The writing is a bit simplistic for the illustrations, and the concepts depicted within the illustrations may take a bit more analysis than the intended age of the targeted reader may be able to achieve. 

The illustrations serve as a complement to the age of the narrator, as the story is told through the eyes of Elsie, one of the girls who claims to have seen fairies after WWI. All implications and debate aside, the story does depict a society after a harrowing war in desperate need of something light-hearted and magical. The girls and their claims provide this to them, but at the cost of their own relationship with the fairies. 

I would like to have seen some additional details about the fairies and the girls’ interactions with them. I feel, if the book had been only tangentially about the public reaction to the girls’ claims and mainly about the fairies, as the title suggests, the book would be more suitable for a broader audience. Nevertheless, it is illustrated beautifully, and I would not mind at all if my students (and my local library) had this title added to the collection.

Jessica 

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As a note, a copy of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. Review also found here at Booked J, with an added bonus of book talk and the real life photographs that inspired this book. 

Oh, my. The Cottingley Fairies is magical and charming, I am overwhelmed by its sweetness. It is everything I hoped it would be and I cannot wait to share it with my goddaughter upon official release. Ana Sender takes these familiar real life events and puts a delightful spin on the effects of lies, truths, and the magic of childhood storytelling.

Kids will be smitten with The Cottingley Fairies and their parents will be just the same. Not only is the story simple and fast, the minimalist illustrations will tug a smile at your lips. I thought that the way that Sender told the story, as an almost retrospect from one of the girls in her later years, only added to the magic and atmosphere of it.

I really, really enjoyed this and that aching feeling of how we once viewed the world as children, to how we view it now. The Cottingley Fairies is a winning combination of childhood joy, imagination and magic, with a hint of how out of control falsehoods can really get.