Like I said, Nobrow Press is really getting my reading flowing. We have When I Was a Fairy. Like the grandfather and his high-seas tall tales in When I Was a Pirate by Tom Silson we now have a grandmother telling a fairy tale about her youth and when she flew and soared as a fairy.
Now, I was okay with the story until the very end. It should have ended about three pages sooner or swapped those last three or so pages. However, it is still an adorable story about being young and using your imagination. The child is non-gender specific, so that is a fun twist. And the story is, this time, more obviously a metaphor and less of a “was she/wasn’t she” question.
We still have the themes of growing up and older, the love we have for the next one in line to take on our adventures, and life. Sure, we can see fairies are real, and they have great adventures, but we also see how magic is every place we look.
And we look at the illustrations by Ewa Poklewska-Koziello. These images are sweet, and busy, colorful, and detailed. The are fun and silly. They take you on the journey the grandmother tells to the child. They are a bit of an “acquired taste” due to their cartoon nature, but they fit the tale perfectly.
Best for a child who likes fairies, but it also might be a good gift for a grandmother to give to their grandchild, especially if they happen to be close. The age range is mostly for the five and up crowd, but the younger reader can read the illustrations.
