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58th out of 137 books
—
676 voters
The Fairy Ring: Or Elsie and Frances Fool the World
by
Mary Losure (Goodreads Author)
The enchanting true story of a girl who saw fairies, and another with a gift for art, who concocted a story to stay out of trouble and ended up fooling the world.
Frances was nine when she first saw the fairies. They were tiny men, dressed all in green. Nobody but Frances saw them, so her cousin Elsie painted paper fairies and took photographs of them "dancing" around Franc...more
Frances was nine when she first saw the fairies. They were tiny men, dressed all in green. Nobody but Frances saw them, so her cousin Elsie painted paper fairies and took photographs of them "dancing" around Franc...more
Hardcover, 192 pages
Published
March 27th 2012
by Candlewick
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I've been besotted with the Cottingley Fairies story for years and years, even using it to frame a speech on literary fairy tales I gave long ago. I've done a ton of research on it thinking I'd write a book about it one day, but now Mary Losure has written that very book. Darn you, Mary! Just kidding as this is a terrific book. Sympathetic, fascinating, well-researched (and I should know:), clear, and an all around great read. More about it on my blog here.
I admit I found the premise of this book fascinating. I mean two girls who fake a photograph of fairies? As I read the book I found the story a testament to the dangers of telling lies and then more lies to cover the original lies. While Frances and Elsie didn't mean any harm when they created the original photographs (which are included in the book), they ended up creating quite a controversy. It was sad that the reason they created the photographs in the first place was because their parents m...more
The Cottingley Fairies story has long been a fascination of mine, even before I became the major Conan Doyle fan that I am. This non-fiction book (which reads like a YA novel) does an intriguing job of looking at the two young girls who inadvertently started a world-wide rumor about the existence of fairies. When nine-year-old Frances proclaims she sees fairies in the backyard, all the grown-ups laugh at her -- even after her fifteen-year-old cousin, Elsie, says that she's seen them, too. Tired...more
Cousins Elsie and Frances are thrown together during WWI when their families have to move in together. Even though Elsie was much older, they get along well, and share a love of drawing and photography. They create tableaux of fairies and use a heavy camera with plate glass negatives of the time to take a few pictures. These are kept and shown to assorted friends, and come to the attention of someone interested in paranormal events. Additional pictures are taken and lauded as being true and unta...more
The Cottingley Fairies is a well known bit of weird history, in which a series of photographs taken in 1917 by Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths seem to present proof of fairies. The photographs came to international interest after the Theosophical society got a hold of the images, prompting Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write an article about them in an issue of The Strand.
The story here is told from Frances and Elsie's point of view in a narrative format, and begins with Frances' arrive and Cotti...more
The story here is told from Frances and Elsie's point of view in a narrative format, and begins with Frances' arrive and Cotti...more
Richie’s Picks: THE FAIRY RING, OR ELSIE AND FRANCES FOOL THE WORLD by Mary Losure, Candlewick, March 2012, 192p., ISBN: 978-0-7636-5670-6
“I know you won’t believe me
But I’m certain that I did see
A mouse playing daffodil”
-- Ray Thomas, “Nice to Be Here”
“How was she supposed to know that she had taken her photographs at a time when a number of very respectable, well-educated city people were starting to think that maybe fairies weren’t ‘magic’ at all?
“Maybe, these people thought, fairies were ju...more
“I know you won’t believe me
But I’m certain that I did see
A mouse playing daffodil”
-- Ray Thomas, “Nice to Be Here”
“How was she supposed to know that she had taken her photographs at a time when a number of very respectable, well-educated city people were starting to think that maybe fairies weren’t ‘magic’ at all?
“Maybe, these people thought, fairies were ju...more
It all began with Frances, a young girl who, being new to England, one day discovered fairies at the bottom of the garden. Unfortunately it seemed Frances was the only one to see these fairies and so without proof no one believed her, that is apart from her cousin Elsie of course. But that didn't stop the teasing that followed.
Elsie, being of kind heart and somewhat mischief nature, decided to put a stop to the teasing of her cousin Frances by providing proof of the existence of fairies. Somethi...more
Elsie, being of kind heart and somewhat mischief nature, decided to put a stop to the teasing of her cousin Frances by providing proof of the existence of fairies. Somethi...more
World War I brings Frances Griffith from Cape Town, South Africa to Cottingley, Yorkshire, England to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin until the Great War is over and her father returns from the front. Everything is drab and dark in England. Nothing is as her mother had told her it would be – no joy or light. Cousin Elsie, six years her senior, is kind and fun loving. There is a little happiness when she returns home from work each day and she and Frances have fun. Frances is often alone tho...more
This is the true story of how two girls fooled the world with their fairy photos. Frances believed she saw fairies down at the beck - the stream - in the Yorkshire village she lived in with her older cousin Elsie. Tired of being teased about it, Elsie and Frances take photos of themselves with their fairy friends. What happens next is a great hoax story, perpetuated by 2 girls who never intended to deceive the wider world but didn't want to get into trouble.
I read this because it had been catalo...more
I read this because it had been catalo...more
Explains, step-by-step, how a harmless idea could be blown out of control.
Two cousins like to play by a stream in their back yard. One thinks she sees fairies. The other decides to draw some and take photos (a new technology--this is 1917) of the drawings, to make people stop teasing them. Someone mentions these pictures to a group eager to prove the existence of fairies. And eventually, the question becomes: How do you take something back once it's taken on a life of its own?
The author careful...more
Two cousins like to play by a stream in their back yard. One thinks she sees fairies. The other decides to draw some and take photos (a new technology--this is 1917) of the drawings, to make people stop teasing them. Someone mentions these pictures to a group eager to prove the existence of fairies. And eventually, the question becomes: How do you take something back once it's taken on a life of its own?
The author careful...more
I don't think this slight book is altogether successful. (Which is too bad, because it could have benefited from some vague World of Downton Abbey publicity.) There's not quite enough story for a book of this length, unless it's that the telling just feels repetitious. The writing overall feels like it talks down to the child reader. Or maybe the book isn't aimed at the audience the cover suggests (mid-to-upper middle grade?) I think it could have been a more successful long-form picture book, b...more
Reason for Reading: I've read Joe Cooper's "The Case of the Cottingley Fairies" and have since been fascinated with this story and with Doyle's involvement. This book for juveniles sounded like it would present the story from the girls' point of view and I was eager to read it.
This is a wonderful little biography, complete with all the "fairy" photographs and others of Frances and Elsie at the time, which tells the story of how the cousins came to be together in England at Cottingly, Yorkshire....more
This is a wonderful little biography, complete with all the "fairy" photographs and others of Frances and Elsie at the time, which tells the story of how the cousins came to be together in England at Cottingly, Yorkshire....more
This is the full story of the Cottingley fairies, the photos of fairies that came to light in England in the early twenties. You have probably seen these photos at one time or another, but when they first appeared, experts in photography at the time indicated that the plates the photos were real. The photographic plates had not been tampered with. Several influential people of the time, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (author of Sherlock Holmes) were sure that fairies were real and latched onto...more
Wow.
So, this marks the second time this month I've learned about some sort of historical photography thing I had no idea about (first "spirit" photography, now the fairies). I had never heard of the Cottingley fairies before, or the absolutely jaw-dropping hoax these girls accidentally got themselves into by simply not telling what they had done. It was so... Salem witch trial-esque, this manipulating of grownups who had an agenda (though no one gets tossed in the water to drown in this case). I...more
So, this marks the second time this month I've learned about some sort of historical photography thing I had no idea about (first "spirit" photography, now the fairies). I had never heard of the Cottingley fairies before, or the absolutely jaw-dropping hoax these girls accidentally got themselves into by simply not telling what they had done. It was so... Salem witch trial-esque, this manipulating of grownups who had an agenda (though no one gets tossed in the water to drown in this case). I...more
Sometimes I stumble across books I'd never heard of on the New releases shelf at the library. This is one such book...although I wonder if they had it on the WRONG new releases shelf. I found it on the adult non-fiction section and it turns out this is non-fiction intended for middle grade youngsters. But, even though I am old and stuff, I still charged ahead and read this one since it sounded interesting. This true life tale of the Cottingley Fairies is told from the perspective of the two youn...more
There isn't much meat to this story of the Edwardian-era girls who photographed fairies, impressing Arthur Conan Doyle among others. Mary Losure's narration is jerky and marred by the type of foreshadowing made popular by Erik Larson in The Devil and the White City, only Losure makes the foreshadows and just drops them, having nothing more. One Goodreads reviewer suggests that this would have been better as a long-form picture book, and I agree. As it is, I think children will be disappointed.
I...more
I...more
When two girls, Frances, 9, and Elsie, 15, claim to see fairies near where they live in Cottingley, their parents press them for proof, and as a lark, they end up photographing paper fairy cutouts painted by Elsie and staged outdoors. They had no idea that so much attention would be stirred up by their photos and that even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would find their photograph credible and beg to see one of the fairies. Perhaps most astounding of all is how the two managed to keep their secret for s...more
4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th Ok, I picked this up knowing I would have to trudge through another fairy story...I was in for a surprise. Not a fantasy at all, but a nonfiction story about two English girls that fooled the world with their photographs of fairies in the early 1900s. When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle becomes interested it isn't long before the world sees the photographs. Faking a total of 4 pictures and one "authentic" fairy photo. I have this book in my top faves of the year, though I know th...more
When I saw this book I had it confused with Brian Froud's pressed fairy books. Being over joyed that Brian Froud had produced another beautiful fairy book I picked it up. Once home I was pleased to discover it was not Brian Froud's work but an audobiography about two cousins in 1920 who fooled the world with paper fairys. This book was delightful. I loved the sweet story of the young girls imagination. The lost photos of the girls with their fairys were classic and beautiful. I enjoyed learning...more
A rather fascinating little book about two girls living in the English countryside during WWI who decided to take a photograph of fairies. One claimed to see real fairies around the seemingly magical creek behind their house and the other, being a fiercely loyal friend/cousin, defended her and said she saw them too. Unfortunately, this caused much teasing from family members. In order to shut them up, the plan to take a photo was hatched. One of the girls happened to be a talented artist...
The f...more
The f...more
I was fascinated when I heard the synopsis of this book: two girls at the turn-of-the century pulled off a hoax about faries that lasted for over 50 years. Using a camera and handpainted cutouts created by the older girl, Elsie and Frances posed in the backyard with their faries in order to stop the teasing of their family members over the existence of faries. What they didn't account for was the fact that their pictures were eventually shown to a member of the Theosophits, people who actually b...more
The story behind the famous photographs of the Cottingley fairies. The author does a great job of revealing the characters of the two girls at the center of this story. The story is in a sense less about the fairies and more about the girls who spent their lives being known first for seeing the fairies and then for faking the fairies. Numerous photos are included and copies of letters from people examining their story.
I was personally amazed that the girls fooled everyone for so long. They kept...more
I was personally amazed that the girls fooled everyone for so long. They kept...more
When cousins Elsie and Frances fake photographs of themselves with fairies beside the stream behind their cottage, they don’t think it's anything more than a joke on Elsie's dad. The "fairies" were just paper cut-outs! But things spin out of control when other grown-ups find out about the pictures -- and believe them. Amazingly, one of those duped adults is none other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the great detective Sherlock Holmes. The Fairy Ring vividly recounts this surprising and...more
Cute story. I had not heard of the Cottingley Fairies before I saw a review for this book, so I went into the story with very little prejudice. It’s a very intriguing and compelling about two young girls that wanted simply to fend off the teasing of their parents ended up perplexing the world. The whole thing, the events and the story, struck me as playful and sweet, and I thought the author presented the story in a very honest, innocent way.
I liked the main characters and felt for them when th...more
I liked the main characters and felt for them when th...more
Two young cousins frequently play in a Yorkshire glen in the early 1920's. Young Frances starts to see fairies working and playing by the stream and convinces her cousin Elsie that they are real. They decide to borrow a family camera and Elsie an artist, draws some beautiful pictures of fairies dancing. Thus begins a hoax that lasts for over 40 years. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and other famous personages of the time are all fooled into thinking the pictures are real. In time, one of the cousins now...more
Elsie and Frances spent much of their summer on the banks of the waterfall behind Elsie’s house. Frances particularly liked it there, because she could see the fairies—not that her family believed her, until Elsie found a way to get photographs of them. Elsie's photos were enough to convince their families, some researchers, even Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The photographs weren't faked… but were the fairies?
Narrative non-fiction for maybe 5th-8th grade readers, and an intrigu...more
Narrative non-fiction for maybe 5th-8th grade readers, and an intrigu...more
This is the kind of non-fiction that I find fascinating...its a wonderful story of two young girl's and their photos of imaginary fairies, that many came to believe in. the story unfolds in a simple, clear, compelling narrative, with nuance and detail. The original photos that accompany the text, are the originals that the girls took back in the 1920's. Just a small quibble, if the photos could have been closer to the text where they were mentioned, it would have been better...I found myself pag...more
In 1917, two young cousins in England who are tired of being teased, take fake photographs of themselves with fairies (actually painted cut-outs) as a joke. The "joke" gets out of control and people all over the world (including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) begin to believe the photos are real. Not until the girls are elderly do they admit the photos were not real. The book reads almost like fiction, but in fact it is a true story -- all the more fascinating! Well-researched and well-written, the boo...more
This was a charming little read about an unusual and interesting true story. Two cousins fool the world in to thinking that they have photographed themselves with real fairies-in 1920-long before photoshop was available! How were they to know that there was a society of people who believed fairies were real who would turn their photos into international sensations?? Was it their fault that said people were so easily fooled by painted fairies and a trick of light?
I was amazed that the two girls m...more
I was amazed that the two girls m...more
Sep 26, 2012
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
read-childrens-books,
read-goodreads-authors
Losure does a beautiful job of telling the true story of the two English cousins who, in the 1920s, faked a couple of photos of themselves and some fairies, never dreaming what a stir they would cause in the years to come. I'd heard of Elsie and Frances and the Cottingley fairies before, but never read a full account of it as is in this book. Elsie liked to draw, and was a very good artist, so she was the one who made the cutout fairies to use in the photos. What astonishes me is that adults act...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why did everyone think the fairies were real when they looked like paper cut-outs? | 3 | 6 | Jan 25, 2013 07:27pm | |
| What did you think about the book? | 1 | 2 | Nov 02, 2012 12:52pm |
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77j6OI...
I'm now at work on a third book of children's narrative non-fiction,
ISAAC THE ALCHEMIST.
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Jan 23, 2013 07:03am