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Backyard Fairies
From an Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning illustrator comes a magical story that proves fairies are real and they're all around us.
They MUST be. Who else could have braided the dog's hair? Who else could be playing that faint music in the air? And who else could've made those mysterious circles in the grass? So thinks a little girl as she sets out into the woods in her backyard searching for the elusive little creatures. Although readers can see them, as hard as she looks, the fairies are always just out of view for our heroine. In the end, it's clear (to the girl AND to readers) that there is magic all around, even when it's hidden in plain sight.
Lush, multi-textured illustrations bring the woods (and the fairies) to life in this playful read-aloud by Phoebe Wahl. Kids will delight in seeing the fairies hidden in each piece of art and revel in the tricks and games the fairies play on our unsuspecting heroine.
They MUST be. Who else could have braided the dog's hair? Who else could be playing that faint music in the air? And who else could've made those mysterious circles in the grass? So thinks a little girl as she sets out into the woods in her backyard searching for the elusive little creatures. Although readers can see them, as hard as she looks, the fairies are always just out of view for our heroine. In the end, it's clear (to the girl AND to readers) that there is magic all around, even when it's hidden in plain sight.
Lush, multi-textured illustrations bring the woods (and the fairies) to life in this playful read-aloud by Phoebe Wahl. Kids will delight in seeing the fairies hidden in each piece of art and revel in the tricks and games the fairies play on our unsuspecting heroine.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published March 6, 2018
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796 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
August 21, 2023
precious, precious, precious!! phoebe has done it again. this simple but sweet poem is a quick read but so magical. folklore stans would adore this.
April 7, 2018
A girl searches for fairies. They are always just out of sight. The is evidence left that they are there. This is my kind of story. The art is beautiful and feels hand drawn. It is a simple story. I can relate to this book. As a kid I was looking for the fairies all the time too. They are all around.
My niece was really into this book while my nephew was only kinda into it.
My niece was really into this book while my nephew was only kinda into it.
May 27, 2024
In Phoebe Wahl's 2018 brightly colourful picture book Backyard Fairies (and with Wahl acting as both author and illustrator and which is in fact generally the case for her), a sturdy and as such not at all slender looking rosy-cheeked girl with auburn braids (wearing a short, plainly sewn reddish dress during the day and brightly striped pyjama bottoms and a whitish top at night) looks for fairies in her backyard (whilst also textually asking potential readers and/or listeners to join her, to come along and help explore). And yes, in particular my inner child (who was definitely rather portly and in fact kind of physically looked quite a bit like Phoebe Wahl's fairy exploring girl) absolutely and totally adores the artwork for Backyard Fairies (and how the little girl does not look all dainty and lithesome and that the fairies being depicted by Wahl appear as both ethnically and gender diverse, with male and female as well as white and dark skinned fairies being visually showcased) and with the watercolour, coloured pencil, and collage illustrations depicting and aesthetically glorifying vibrant woodlands and also the accompanying fairy magic.
Now on each illustrative spread for Backyard Fairies, the girl joyfully and expectantly searches for fairies and other similar magical creatures, with Phoebe Wahl having the girl noticing the natural beauty and the enchantment of the yard, of the woods, but missing the fairies themselves (with them always appearing in Wahl's pictures but with the girl generally only noticing the signs that fairies might have been present but not the actual fairies themselves, such as a possible tiny home, suspicious looking stones, a dog with braided fur, that nighttime offerings to the fairies are gone by the morning but replaced with gifts of flowers etc.). A fun and delightful combination of text and images is Backyard Fairies, a gentle visual and verbal celebration of magic, imagination, of the natural world (and of course also of fairies and of believing in fairies), a five star book for my inner child (but that I do have to dock one star, as my older adult reading self does find the second person narration used by Phoebe Wahl in Backyard Fairies a bit unnatural and is certainly rather annoyed that there is a pretty obvious and aggravating grammar mistake on page fourteen of Backyard Fairies, as Wahl should for the present perfect be using the past particle "woken" and not the simple past "woke").
Now on each illustrative spread for Backyard Fairies, the girl joyfully and expectantly searches for fairies and other similar magical creatures, with Phoebe Wahl having the girl noticing the natural beauty and the enchantment of the yard, of the woods, but missing the fairies themselves (with them always appearing in Wahl's pictures but with the girl generally only noticing the signs that fairies might have been present but not the actual fairies themselves, such as a possible tiny home, suspicious looking stones, a dog with braided fur, that nighttime offerings to the fairies are gone by the morning but replaced with gifts of flowers etc.). A fun and delightful combination of text and images is Backyard Fairies, a gentle visual and verbal celebration of magic, imagination, of the natural world (and of course also of fairies and of believing in fairies), a five star book for my inner child (but that I do have to dock one star, as my older adult reading self does find the second person narration used by Phoebe Wahl in Backyard Fairies a bit unnatural and is certainly rather annoyed that there is a pretty obvious and aggravating grammar mistake on page fourteen of Backyard Fairies, as Wahl should for the present perfect be using the past particle "woken" and not the simple past "woke").
March 21, 2018
Backyard Fairies is a quite short book of about 15 pages with brief, rhyming text and dense, vibrant watercolour illustrations. It might make a good, quick goodnight story for a child, especially as it ends with an illustration of a girl lying in bed.
I read a digital advance copy of #BackyardFairies from the publisher via #NetGalley.
I read a digital advance copy of #BackyardFairies from the publisher via #NetGalley.
April 19, 2018
magical, of course 🧚🏼♀️ Little ones will cherish the imagination of this darling book .. let’s make fairy crowns 🌸🌿🌼🌱🌺🌿🍄
April 3, 2025
No sé si dp d este cómic ansío más ser una criatura d 5 cm cuya ropa son pétalos, su mejor amifa una mariquita, q vive en el tronco d un árbol y su sombrero es la cáscara d una bellota o ser una niña d 8 años q lee cuentos d hadas todas las noches antes d dormir, su peli favorita es cualquiera d las d campanilla y lleva katiuskas d lunares desde el 1 d septiembre hasta el 1 d mayo....pero no m queda otra q ser una chica urbanita d 25 años q lee este tipo d cosas y sabe a la perfección q es lo q les leerá a sus dudoses futures hijes.
Las ilustraciones son hermosashermosashermosas y q sea en verso perfectoperfectoperfecto
Las ilustraciones son hermosashermosashermosas y q sea en verso perfectoperfectoperfecto
January 20, 2024
A poem disguised as a children’s book. A children’s book disguised as a poem! :) Whimsical and charming and sweet.
February 26, 2025
simply magical and beautifully illustrated🤍✨.
November 21, 2017
This story deals with the imagination of children. When they are outside do they see and hear things that might be fairies, imps etc. Do they hear them at night. The little girl in the story ventures out at night following the music to find the fairies, but has not such luck. Can she still believe? A cute, simple story. I was not impressed with the illustrations though, they didn't seem as soft as I would have thought a fairy story would be depicted as. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.
March 7, 2018
A delightful read that will make readers want to take a closer look at what magical things they may find while out and about.
February 3, 2019
Perfect for a fairy house program.
April 21, 2018
Some youngsters will be utterly charmed by this picture book featuring illustrations of fairies that might be hiding right in their backyard. The images, created with watercolor, gouache, collage, and colored pencil, are rich in color and tone, and show a young girl trying to spot the fairies she is sure at out there somewhere in the woods while they go about their business, right under her nose. In one image, one is puffing on a pipe, blowing bubbles, while in other scenes, they are perched delicately or hovering near trees. The girl keeps finding evidence that fairies exist because they have made a mess of her dog's fur and taken the tokens she has left for them. Just when she's ready to give up hope of finding them and beginning to doubt their existence, they leave her with a special gift, floral proof that she need not have ever questioned that they are somewhere out there. They just choose not to be seen.
November 2, 2018
I really wanted this to be a five star book, but alas. I loved the idea of it and the illustrations are perfect. But the verse left much to be desired. There's a pretty unforgivable (for me) grammatical error that should have be caught ("have you ever woke up"), and I thought the use of second person POV got awkward toward the end. Too bad; these kinds of stories usually enchant me!
April 13, 2025
A charming picture book full of wonderful illustrations of fairies in the woods and inside a home. The art contains so many easter eggs that it makes it worth reading again to find the hidden details.
July 1, 2020
I've always loved Phoebe Wahl's work!! Her collage illustrations are both skilful and whimsical with my favourite earthy colour palette. Her works often bring me back to all the tales of fairies and forest I once read as a child. This book truly shows off her intricate illustrations, it also can be a fun activity for kids to find the little fairies hiding away from our heroine :)
January 18, 2021
Absolutely beautiful artwork with a cute story
October 20, 2022
Told in rhyming verse, a young girl searches for the magical creatures and fairies in her backyard. Where are they?
Colorful illustrations.
Colorful illustrations.
April 3, 2018
An young #girl explores the backyard for the wondrous, elusive creatures...until they leave her a #Gift!
October 10, 2021
Love this whimsical tale and the oh-so-beautiful illustrations!
January 28, 2022
My son pulled this back out after I read it and has kept looking at it. The illustrations are beautiful, perfect for prompting a child's imagination.
August 10, 2022
Such a lovely book and it’s written by a Bellingham author! I would love to use this in a library program and have kids make their own fairy houses.
March 24, 2018
Eh, it should probably be two stars because I really just found it ok, but I understand the appeal for little kids who believe in fairies. While the fairy and setting illustrations work for me, the Into the Woods-looking dog and the girl don't do it for me. It seems like she has constant angry eyebrows. Is she supposed to be looking inquisitive? Kind of just looks like she wants to punch a tree.
September 2, 2025
cute! I loved the images of the hidden fairies.
March 19, 2018
I received a review copy this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. This children's picture book is a charming little story about a little girl's quest to prove that fairies exist. It's the kind of book that I would have been reading over and over again to my children at least 15 years ago, because it would probably have become a favourite of theirs. I really liked the illustrations and the enjoyed the story told in rhyme. The ending would be a good surprising one for young child. If you are looking for a new picture book for the young ones in your life, then this is one worth considering.
March 23, 2018
Cute for a story book.
March 21, 2018
Backyard Fairies is a cute, quite short book of about 15 pages with brief, rhyming text and dense, vibrant watercolour illustrations. It might be good for a quick goodnight story for a child.
I read a digital advance copy of #BackyardFairies from the publisher via #NetGalley.
I read a digital advance copy of #BackyardFairies from the publisher via #NetGalley.
March 20, 2018
Searching for fairies outdoors.
March 9, 2018
I've been waiting for this book since I heard Phoebe Wahl was making a picture book version of her wonderful zine of the same name. It's just as beautiful as I hoped it would be!
January 6, 2023
Adorably whimsical tale centered around a little girl finding faeries wherever she goes. As a young child obsessed with faeries and fae, I would have L O V E D and probably worn out the spine on this book! Still just as fun as an adult who is still enamored with faeries. Can’t wait to share this with kids in my life or at my job who are obsessed, too!
November 21, 2023
Would work well for a storytime.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews