Review by Booklist Review
A forest beckons three children and their dog with the promise of fairies tucked among its foliage. But first they must gear up. The youngest adds yellow galoshes and a walking stick to a polka-dotted skirt and red-striped hoodie. The middle child, a pink-and-purple dream with brown skin and a tiara, grabs a matching poncho and umbrella. The eldest, blonde and fair, stocks a backpack with snacks, binoculars, and a magnifying glass. Ready. With a wave to their moms, they set off, their pup bounding by their sides. They venture over a stream and into the woods, peering beneath rocks and around logs in hopes of spotting a fairy. Young readers will delight over the tiny, magical beings flitting through the collage illustrations, noticed only by the dog. Cornwall (Jabari Jumps, 2017) keeps her writing simple but descriptive, ripe for reading aloud, and though the children don't find a fairy (this time), they nonetheless revel in the magic of the natural world. A sweet blend of Beatrice Alemagna's On a Magical Do-Nothing Day (2017) and Phoebe Wahl's Backyard Fairies (2018).
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Streamlining the goings-on with simple dialogue and action words, Cornwall (The Best Bed for Me) follows three children searching for fairies in the woods. "Let's go, let's go!/ Skip,/ skip,/ skip,/ trip!" they say while waving goodbye to two adults and venturing through a gate. It's a rainy, misty day, and opaque pastel, watercolor, and collage spreads depict a brown-skinned child in a pink rain poncho opening their arms wide: "Where are you, fairies?" A smaller, light-brown-skinned child in a floofy skirt gestures at a rock. After the trio tips it over, readers see an outstretched hand holding not the sought-after quarry but a small orange newt: "A dragon!" And though the tallest, a pale-skinned child in a yellow rain slicker, gestures for quiet, they find "no fairies at all!" The search does, however, turn up mushrooms, insects, and underground life ("Feel the ground! It hums. It thrums"). While the children never see them, readers are likely to spot small, blue, winged beings across the pages of this freewheeling group outing of a work about careful noticing. Ages 3--7. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Jr./Folio Literary. (Apr.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
Three children and one pup head off to the woods to search for fairies. It's a misty day, and the casually diverse trio's colorful rain gear, purple umbrella, and enthusiasm brighten the mood. The kids look in clusters of flowers, under a big rock, among mushrooms, and under a blanket of moss. They discover a dragon (orange salamander), a mushroom table for "a fairy feast," and "Bugs!" But "no fairies at all!" The littlest one lies face down on the ground in frustration while the older two kick at the grass and shout at the sky. Cornwall's spare, sensory-rich text honors a child's perspective, and her digitally colored watercolor, pencil, and collage illustrations embrace the possibility of magic in the natural world. Delicate details and patterns in the soft pastel scenes give the setting depth and texture. What the explorers don't notice (but their dog does) are the near-translucent fairies flitting around them, hidden in the forest flora. Things look more hopeful after a rest and a snack. The kids don't see fairies, but they sense enchantment: "Hear them whisper in the trees...Shhh...Feel the ground! It hums. It thrums." Once young viewers notice the well-camouflaged fairies, they will want to turn back to the beginning to examine the illustrations again (don't forget the endpapers). This small-scale adventure celebrates nature and imagination. Kitty FlynnMay/June 2025 p.60 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Kids encounter magical surprises on a nature walk. Dressed in bright rain gear, three racially diverse friends search for fairies. Are those sweet-smelling honey snowdrops fairies? One child is convinced that fairies lurk under a heavy rock, so the pals turn it over. No fairy. Instead…"A dragon!" (Actually a lizard.) Not to be deterred, another youngster points to a spot: "A cozy, snug table? For a fairy feast!" (It turns out to be "puff belly mushrooms.") Though the kids have discovered numerous marvels, they persist with their hunt. Soon, they encounter burrowing bugs! Their disappointment's keen: "No fairies at all!…No imps. No sprites. Not even an enchanted woodland spirit." Are they shy? The children hear whispers with a passing breeze. "Feel the ground! It hums. It thrums!" They gasp, touching the earth; below, readers catch a glimpse of burrowing animals slumbering (among them, unbeknownst to the children, fairies snuggle). The friends, now wearing leafy garlands, happily deem the passing butterflies "fairy wings" and acknowledge the gifts left by the fairies: flowers, leaves, and stones. They leave behind a treasure of their own--items collected on their walk--then return home, bidding the fairies farewell. This magical story employs lovely language. Like music to the ear, the text dances, fairylike, off the tongue, demanding to be read aloud. Delicate, lush illustrations emphasize nature's beauty. Different typefaces are incorporated, often set against soft-blue backgrounds. Nature appreciation for the youngest set.(Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
