Book Review of The Fairy Garden
The Children’s Book Review
The Fairy Garden
Written by Georgia Buckthorn
Illustrated by Isabella Mazzanti
Ages 4-6 | 32 Pages
Publisher: Ivy Kids (2022) | ISBN-13: 978-0-7112-7177-7
What to Expect: Gardens, Fairies, Sustainability, and Changing Perspectives.
In this beautiful picture book, readers will learn to think differently about their relationships to outdoor spaces, and especially gardens.
How can you grow a garden perfect for fairies to live in? Mimi desperately wants to see fairies living in her garden, and she thinks she knows exactly what to do to make the garden perfect for them. Working as hard as she can, Mimi pulls weeds and rakes leaves, sprays pesticide to get rid of the bugs that nibble the leaves, and makes sure everything is neat and tidy—but still the fairies don’t appear.
Then, one night, when the fairies see her crying, they pay her a visit to explain: she’s made a garden perfect for humans, but deadly for fairies! The pesticides harm them and their pets, and her tidiness has destroyed their nest. With their advice, Mimi gets back to work on her garden—but this time with a new perspective on what the perfect garden needs: food, shelter, and water for all of the creatures who live there, fairies included!
Mimi is determined and considerate, and her willingness to see past her own desires to accommodate the needs of others makes her the perfect heroine for the story. The story itself unfolds across lush full-page spreads that glow with all the color and freshness of a summer garden in full bloom. The sketchy illustrations have a familiar feel, reminiscent of colored pencil drawings, and together with the simple text delivered in short, concise sentences, this helps the story feel homely, comforting, and a little bit magical.
Best of all, The Fairy Garden is produced and distributed with sustainability in mind, using recycled materials and minimal air miles—so even more fairy habitats will be protected!
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About the Author
Georgia Buckthorn is an editor and writer of children’s books, based in Sussex, UK.
About the Illustrator
Isabella Mazzanti is an illustrator from Rome. She has worked as an art director, concept artist, illustrator and comic book artist for clients in Italy, the USA and France.
