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Take a few moments this afternoon, snuggle
up on the couch with your child, and travel to a magical world. It’s
easy to escape to another time and place when you are perusing
Finding Fairies: Secrets for Attracting Little People from Around the World.
This beautifully illustrated hardcover
takes you on a journey around the world to explore the fairy folklore on
six different continents. Authors and world travelers Michelle Roehm-McCann
and Marianne Monson-Burton describe each region's fairies using
stories, games, crafts and food. David Hohn's beautiful illustrations also
bring this magical world to life.
The book is divided into 10 sections:
1)
The Mystic Orient (Asia)
2)
The Charming Isles (Great Britain)
3)
Sand and Sultans (Arabia)
4)
Islands of Fire (Polynesia)
5)
The New World (North America)
6)
Ye Olde World (Europe)
7)
Land of Spices (India)
8)
The Vast Continent (Africa)
9)
Latin Fiesta (South and Central America)
10)
Frozen Tundra (The Arctic Circle)
Each section is comprised of four to six
pages that describe local folklore. The authors' whimsical
writing style also tells the reader where to find fairies and how to catch
them ("on clear days in the mountains, look for Chinese fairy
castles hiding between the tall peaks.") There are little stories
about the fairies and their adventures, too. Each section includes
fairy-themed recipes, crafts, or games or other activities.
The
recipes include:
-
Chinese cherry dumplings
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Marble fairy milk from Great Britain
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Scottish Bannock Cakes
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Djinn Chewing Gum from Arabia
-
Pixie Porridge from Europe
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Mazikeen Rock Candy from India
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Tanzanian Baked Bananas
-
Cool Caribbean Crush (a beverage from Central and South America)
-
Duende Dulce de Leche (a butterscotch type
sauce for bread, cookies and ice cream from Argentina)
-
Arctic Snow Cones from the Arctic Circle
Most
of the recipes in the book use common ingredients, although there are a
few funky ones, too (like the whole wheat kernels used in the Djinn
chewing gum).
The crafts include:
Tengu Fairy Fan
from Asia
Exotic
Arabia Perfume
Menehune Nose-Flute
from Polynesia
Fairy Rose Petal Beads
from Polynesia
Ja-gen-oh Leaf Baskets
from North America
Fairy Rock Pets
from North America
Winter Fairy Feast
from North America
Fairy Frosted Flowers
from Europe
Domovoy Soap Carvings
from Russia
Fairy Rattle
from Africa
African Masks
Mexican Fairy Flowers
Aua Sugar Igloo
from the Arctic Circle
The
majority of the craft projects use common household items like soap,
construction paper, colored pens and glitter. Other items--like
leaves, twigs, flower petals and stones--can easily be found in your
backyard. The projects are simple enough for grade school children.
The games and songs include:
-
Korean Wrestling Game
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Djinn Treasure Hunt from Arabia
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Anchanchu Lure from South America
Near the end of the book there's a section
called "Throw a Fantastic Fairy Party." It includes two
pages of ideas for invitations, decorations and activities. It also
tells you how to create Pixie Dust to give as party favors and how to make
fairy wings using old nylons, metal hangers, glue and glitter. Although
there aren't alot of suggestions on these two pages, they will certainly
encourage the reader's creative spirit.
Finally, the last page of the book gives
the reader directions on how to grow a fairy garden. It includes a list of
eight plants and flowers to which fairies are attracted, such as daisies,
foxglove, bluebells, jasmine, marigold, pansies, primroses and pussywillow.
Folklore is also interwoven throughout this section, with the authors
encouraging the reader to plant bluebells "because fairies are
summoned to their midnight dances by the ringing of the bluebells"
and to cultivate foxglove because fairies like to make hats and gloves
from these tiny blossoms.
Although the drawings are beautiful, some
of them might be a bit scary for very young children who can't yet
differentiate between fantasy and reality. The book is more
appropriate for grade school children and older. Many adults
will be enchanted with its quaint fairy folklore, too!
For more information or to purchase this
book, click
here
To read a review about another fairy themed
book entitled Fairy Fun, click here.
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