Avery and the Fairy Circle

Avery #1

by Rowan Kingsbury

Avery stumbles into a magical circle transporting her to a wonderous fairy world.

Avery’s family has just moved to a small cottage in the forest. She is obsessed with plants and loves exploring nature outside her home until one day she stumbles into a magic fairy circle. Shrinking to the size of a teeny tiny fairy, Avery tries to find her way back home. A young fairy named Birch agrees to help her reverse the magic, but only if Avery helps her complete some fairy chores! Hopefully, Avery can befriend Birch and complete the tasks required if she wants to return home before her parents discover she is missing...

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Childrens, Comics, Picture Books, Middle Grade, Fairies

56 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[:¨·.·¨: `·. izzy ★°*ﾟ]

I’m so in love with the soft art style and gorgeous colour palette!! The story was cute enough

[Hannah Rials Jensen]

Precious, low stakes, girl falls into a fairy ring and shrinks to the size of a fairy. Friendship, cozy atmosphere, even lighter than Garlic and the Vampire.

[Megan]

This was super cute and simple. The art was beautiful - love the palette and chibi style - but it looked almost the wrong resolution for the printed book, though, and it really clashed with the super-sharp letters in the word balloons. I was surprised when it mentioned seasonality at the end because there wasn't much "first day of summer" related stuff in the story. I like that it was very simple and happy, like a warm hug. I did not like that she didn't tell her parents about her adventure - why do these books normalize kids keeping secrets!

[cathy]

yes I buy graphic novels purely for the art and this in fact has one of the most beautiful art styles and colour palettes I've ever seen. nothing really happens story-wise though but since this is only volume one I can't be too upset about it. I love fairies and I love art this was cute

[Sim ✨]

very whimsy, very wholesome and very short

[Leslie Carnahan]

What an adorable little book! Such great art. Such a great story! Super cute!

[Sharni]

What a jewel-toned delight! Who hasn't spent time daydreaming about falling through a fairy circle and into fairyland?

[Artemis Crescent]

'Avery and the Fairy Circle' - there isn't much to it, but it is such a charming and gorgeously-illustrated little fairy comic, that I can't resist it.

Little Avery has just moved to a new home, and she becomes even littler when she goes out to explore the woods and accidently falls into a fairy circle, which shrinks her to the size of a moth. From there she meets a plant harvesting fairy kid named Birch, and they have a tiny adventure involving berries, licorice roots, trees, a bird, and a deer, and it ends with the the two of them attending a fairy village summer festival with Birch's family and people. Birch's Mama concocts a magic potion that will turn Avery back to her normal size, and she says farewell to the fairies, with a promise to return to the fairy circle next season, for her new friend Birch and her family. Human-sized again, and in the human world where barely any time has passed since she'd been gone, Avery returns home, as an ambitious herbalist and artist ready to record everything she's seen in her new book from her parents.

The comic is barely fifty pages long, but it is so sweet. The art is adorable, soft and colourful, and the story touches on themes of exploring environments, learning about and respecting nature, trying new things, being practical and creative, friendship, family, and community; messages which are vital for child readers to take to heart.

I swear Birch has two mums, even though it isn't explicitly stated what her one named Mama's relationship is to her female partner who lives and works in her family's house, and is always drawn to be very close to her. I wish the partner/second Mama was given a name, at least. And that a bit more of the fairy village culture was explored, along with its various inhabitants.

'Avery and the Fairy Circle' is perfect for beginner comic book readers. It's cute, it's wholesome, it's magical, it's imaginative, it's diverse (POC and disability rep, as we see one fairy in a wheelchair, and there's the more subtle LBGTQ+ rep), and it's as charming as a doe-eyed chinchilla with kitten ears in a kitchen garden.

It's a short cottagecore fantasy about fairies for kids. Like a short, classic Disney animated film, and a Studio Ghibli miniature feature.

It's like if Tinker Bell, Wisteria from 'The Sprite and the Gardener', and Aster from 'Aster and the Accidental Magic' had a baby, that was blessed by good fairies - meaning, the creations of K. O'Neill.

What whimsical, childlike fairy magic! There are pies and mushrooms in it, too!

I may never read any future instalments, but this lilliputian adventure on its own is hard not to dote on. Dewy, doe-eyed dote on, like a dope!

Final Score: 3.5/5

[Mizzy Mint]

I LOVED this book. It is super cute. The style is so lovely and whimsical. The illustrations blur on the edges sop it just feels like almost the magic is floating around(?). The story follows a human Avery who accidently walks into a fairy circle and is shrunken down. She meets a fairy and learns about plants as they help him prepare for winter and enjoy the festival, all while waiting on the growth potion is being brewed. She promises to come back next autumn. She is also gifted plant seeds (forget-me-nots) by the fairy and a plant identification guide by her father. I love this so much and definitely want to see more of their adventures.

[Ryan]

This is a graphic reader. It’s meant for some of the youngest kids reading chapter books. Those who have come out of “learn to read” books and are ready for their next level. Avery is a little girl, and when she trips into a fairy ring she shrinks down little tiny and meets Birch. Avery and Birch go back to the fairy village for the summer Solstice party. This book was adorable. The illustrations are pastel and unique for a graphic novels. They are soft and comfy like a warm blanket. There will be many kids who will enjoy this book and want the next one.

[Faelyssa]

I enjoyed the art in this book and the theme and story were sweet and whimsical too. However, I felt like it was much too short! It felt like we only just properly got introduced to the characters and the world.. and then it was done! I have some hope that maybe there will be a second book or that it gets turned into a series or a bigger story altogether someday. This could be a cute introduction to it then.

[Becky]

Very cute book for young readers who love fairies, nature, and magic. I read this aloud with my 5yo and she enjoyed the gorgeous illustrations. I thought the art was lovely and while it was richly colored in soft pastels, I would have loved to see a few darker lines mixed in so the overall effect wasn’t so muted. Nonetheless, this is a short and fanciful read that will be fun to follow up on future adventures.

[Sirah]

Avery moves into a new house and starts by exploring the woods, hoping to find a friend in nature. She ends up stumbling into a fairy ring, where she finds a lot more than she expected!

This is a sweet early-reader style graphic novel with cozy colors and gentle illustrations. There's some age-appropriate friend drama and a lot of imagination and playfulness. While it's not the best graphic novel I've read all year, I had a lot of fun and am looking forward to book 2.

[Aurora]

It was simple but cute. I like the holographic effects on the cover. The art looked overly blurry a lot of the time, which felt at odds with the crisp type in the word balloons. It was like the artist drew it at the wrong resolution for print; not sure why that decision was made. I'm glad there will be more of these, though!

[Adam Fisher]

Review submitted to School Library Journal for SMS Fiction Article Publication.

[diane jean⋆˚꩜｡]

this was soooooo cute!! LOVE the illustration style so much <3

[kait zinnecker]

beautiful, adorable art style <3 read this in a very short sitting while cozying up with my partner :) definitely a great read for young readers (6-10), fairy lovers, and illustrators :)

[Carolyn]

Absolutely adorable - the artwork and the story! 😊💖

[Tori Gardner]

I love fairies.

[Ellen]

A slight, adorable romp for early readers.

[⭐ Lukas ⭐]

very cute and whimsical, gives me lots of artistic inspiration^^

[Rachel]

I would put this in the 2-5th grade level. It was super cute and great for those readers that love fairies and woodland creatures. I' sure it will be a series.

[Claudia Miranda]

A cute kids fantasy book. No stress, no conflict just cute art and happy forest vibes.

[Chloe (thebookgiraffe)]

3.5/5

[Tina]

Cute story for young children, with adorable artwork.

[Sara Oliver]

OBSESSED! This magical story is like the perfect cup of tea. The illustrations are gorgeous and warm. I can’t wait for the sequel!

[Vanna Book-Mage]

This was such a cute read! Give me all the fairy circles and friends.

[norah melden]

i feel like a child but this was so fire

[grace ⧗]

so freaking cute 🧚🏼‍♀️ the art style is absolutely precious

[Kristen Sherlock]

So cute! Perfect for a cozy read especially in spring🩷