A little gem of a book. I had heard excellent things about this one, and I wasn't disappointed. Librarian/author Laura Amy Schlitz has her pulse on what girl readers like--fairies with moxie. This heroine, Flory, is a night fairy who is injured at the beginning of the story and has no more wings, forcing her to live in a human's garden in a birdhouse and learn new ways to survive by befriending various gigantic animals in the garden. Hans Christian Anderson fans won't be able to help comparing this fable with Thumbelina--a tiny girl who gets her wings at the end of the story after interacting with all sorts of gigantic animals. However, this is a 21st century fairy--much less meek than Thumbelina, one who is not afraid to rumble with giant spiders and other creatures who want to eat her. The illustrations and design of this book are extraordinary--the whole book reminds me of a medieval book of hours, with the beautifully detailed illustrations that are integral to the story. A perfect book for lovers of fairy tales...