A Natural History of Fairies

This is an amazing book and I have been so worried about writing this review as I am scared that I cannot do it justice. We have had this book for a little over a fortnight now and the children and I have not put it down. One of us is always reading it. The girls have designed their own fairies and tried writing as deciphering the fairy alphabet. We have all chosen our favourite fairies and which wings we would most like to have. Every so often William will be the one reading it and loudly exclaiming, “This is really interesting actually” This is fascinating, listen to this...” He has been delighted to discover the science behind the magic. How bone density plays a part in why fairies can fly and how fairies interact with the plants and animals around them. This is much more than a history of fairies. This is a timely call to action for all children wrapped up in beautiful vintage styling and a whole heap of fairy dust! Children, and adults, can learn so much from this stunning book which encourages children to take action and to be guardians of the natural web of life, the natural world that we share with fairies. Through this fairy guide book we have learned about identification of species, classification, anatomical structures, lifecycles, camouflage, adaptation, migration and hibernation. We have learned about habitat destruction and the part humans play. We have learned the names of continents and countries, we have found out native species of plants and animals for countries all around the globe. We have learned the different names used for fairies around the world. We have learned about leaf identification, seed dispersal, pollination and how to identify poisonous plants. This beautiful book will inspire children to play outside and explore nature. It encourages us all to slow down, open our eyes and look at the beauty around us ... only then might we find what we are looking for ... fairies!!!! I have bought this again as a gift for my sister for her 41st birthday!!

I'm going to be honest... this was one of those things you buy for your children but secretly for yourself too (lol!) and it didn't disappoint. It will be a Christmas present but I've read through it and it is simply beautiful. It is perfect in both the written and illustrated aspects, and I can't wait to give it to my seven year old for her Christmas Eve book.

Bought for my grandaughter so not really in a position to comment other than to say it seems like a really good book and makes children aware of human damage to the flora and fauna of our planet which makes it a very good purchase for anyone who cares about these things.

My 7 year old absolutely loves this book. It is stunningly made, the illustrations are beautiful and it's the perfect play between folklore and natural history. Some of the words could be hard for some children of this age (my daughter is a very advanced reader) but it's a book to keep and enjoy for many years. Several friends have now bought it for their nieces and daughters ages right up to 10 and it's gone down well.

Bought this book for my daughter who is a designer, and wanted something on these lines for designs she was producing. The book is comprehensive, beautifully illustrated, and presented. Looks so much more expensive than it was I feel sure she will fall in love with it as soon as she turns to the first page!!