About the Holiday
National Live Creative Day was established to encourage people to embrace their innovative side. There are so many ways to be creative from the arts, to science and math, to what you make for dinner. Kids seem to know this inherently as they go about exploring and interacting with all the new things they see, hear, and do every day. Introducing kids to all kinds of hobbies, subjects, and professions expands their definition of creativity and their outlook on the future. Encouraging them to use their particular talent or talents, helps them build confidence and find thier place in the world. Reading today’s book with them is a great way to start! To celebrate today, take time to share your talents with others. You may be surprised at how creative you really are!
Thanks to Red Comet Press and Barbara Fisch at Blue Slip Media for sharing a copy of Mister Fairy with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.
Mister Fairy
Written by Morgane de Cadier | Illustrated by Florian Pigé
All sorts of fairies lived in the forest. There are “morning fairies, brave fairies, sleepy-time fairies, and even fairies that clean. There is also Mister Fairy. Mister Fairy doesn’t seem able to do anything right. He isn’t a morning fairy. His attempt to be a kissing fairy turns ticklish. And when he tries to heal a boo-boo, he only turns the leaves on the trees to pink fluff. “‘I’m the most useless fairy in the forest,’” he says. “‘I’m the fairy of nothing at all!’”
Image copyright Florian Pigé, 2021, text copyright Morgane de Codier, 2021. Courtesy of Red Comet Press.
Mister. Fairy decides to find a different home. He comes to a city shadowed in gloom, where everyone seems “sad and unhappy too.” Mister. Fairy wants to help. “Cautiously, he waves his wand. Suddenly light bursts over the drab city walls in beautiful shades of color!” He watched the people begin to smile. Next he enters the subway. On a train, Mister Fairy weaves in and out and around, tickling the riders and making them laugh.
Image copyright Florian Pigé, 2021, text copyright Morgane de Codier, 2021. Courtesy of Red Comet Press.
Excited to have made so many people happy, Mister Fairy flies off to see where else he can help. He passes by an outdoor café and turns all the table umbrellas into cotton candy. These balls of pink fluff remind him of home, and he begins to worry. He leaves the city and flies back to the forest. When he gets there, he discovers that all the color has faded to gloomy gray. He calls out to his friends and they respond. Since he left, they tell him, they “‘lost the gift of laughter.’” No matter what they tried, they couldn’t find their smiles.
“Without a word, Mister Fairy confidently waves his wand…” and instantly “color and laughter return to the forest.” Mister Fairy then realizes that far from being useless, he fills the forest with smiles, happiness, and joy “in his own special way.”
Image copyright Florian Pigé, 2021, text copyright Morgane de Codier, 2021. Courtesy of Red Comet Press.
This enchanting book is the sixth collaboration between Morgane de Cadier and Florian Pigé and the first to be translated from French into English. Morgane de Cadier’s whimsical realism plumbs feelings of self-doubt, disappointment, and failure as well as confidence, fulfillment, and joy as Mister Fairy tries to be like others before discovering his true gift. Told in the present tense, the story immediately feels contemporary and fresh as it draws readers into this unique community of fairies. Mister Fairy’s discouragement is palpable and all the more moving since it is joy that he creates with a wave of his wand.
On his own in the city, not comparing himself to the other fairies, and with only his own aspirations and empathy to guide him, he bravely brandishes his wand and does what he can. That he gets instant and positive feedback is a gamechanger. As his particular talent alters the city and its residents, Mister Fairy grows in confidence and, although not explicitly stated, he seems to consider that he did add value to the forest. When he returns, Mister Fairy and children see that the forest is not the same without him—just as the reader’s family, friends, school, and the world are not the same without them. de Cadier’s final sentiment about the irreplaceable importance of Mister Fairy echoes priceless acknowledgement of every child’s worth.
Kids will fall in love with Florian Pigé’s tiny fairies and especially the endearing Mister Fairy. Mister Fairy, with his dejected trunk and disconsolate frown and eyes, but prim fairy dress or pajamas instantly reveals his talent, but smiling readers—who will be smiling—don’t know it yet. As Mister Fairy gives vent to his frustration, an empathetic fairy offers a paw of comfort while kids can see that the animals of the forest are enjoying the pink fluff he’s conjured up. Like a hummingbird against the open sky, Mister Fairy takes off for the city, where the people look as downtrodden as he feels.
With the first splash of paint, though, things begin looking up, and kids see what a difference one tiny fairy—or person—can make. When Mister Fairy leaves the city, the once-gray buildings are a rainbow of colors, and the people, sporting grins, are aware of each other and looking up from their phones. Mister Fairy returns to a now-gray forest a changed elephant, and the final two-page spread of the home he restores will cheer kids and adults alike.
Mister Fairy transcends the fairy story genre to offer a humorous and poignant look at self-discovery and finding one’s place in the world. It’s a book you and your kids will find yourselves returning to again and again and is enthusiastically recommended for all home, classroom, school, and public libraries.
Ages 4 – 8
Red Comet Press, 2021 | ISBN 978-1636550008
Discover more about Morgane de Cadier, her books, and her art on her website.
To learn more about Florian Pigé, his books, and his art, visit his website.
National Live Creative Day Activity
Spool Elephant and Baby
You can make your own elephant fairy or friend to keep you company with this easy craft !
Supplies
- Printable Elephant Ears Template
- 1¾-inch wooden spool with center hole, available at craft stores
- ¾ -inch wooden spool with center hole, available at craft stores
- Gray craft paint
- Chunky gray yarn
- Gray felt, 1 8 ½ x 11 piece
- Paint brush
- Black fine-tip marker
- Hot glue gun or fabric glue
Directions
To Make the Ears
- Print the Elephant Ears Template
- Trace and cut out the large and small ears
To Make the Body
- Paint the spools with the gray paint, let dry
- Glue the tab on the ears to the body of the spool to secure, allowing the ears to stick out on either side of one flat end of the spools
- Wind the gray yarn back and forth around the spool, creating several layers of thickness
- When the body is as thick as you desire, cut the end and secure with glue
To Make the Trunk
- Cut a 2 x 4-inch piece of felt for the large elephant; 1/2 x 2-inch piece for small elephant
- Roll tightly and secure with glue
- Feed one end of the roll into the hole in the middle of the spool
- Cut to desired length
To Make the Tail
- Twist a small length of yarn and push it into the hole on the back of the spool
- With the marker draw eyes and a mouth on the face
You can find Mister Fairy at these booksellers
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million
To support your local independent bookstore, order from
Picture Book Review
celebratepicturebooks.com 