The Fairiest Fairy

by Anne Booth, Rosalind Beardshaw (Illustrator)

Being a fairy isn’t easy! Betty seems to get everything wrong. There’s no way she’ll be picked as the Fairiest Fairy. Or is there?

Betty can’t paint a rainbow or scatter dewdrops, and her pirouettes are, well, pretty precarious. With so many animals to rescue and friends to help, there’s just no time for Betty to perfect all the things a fairy is supposed to know how to do. But when the fairy ball arrives, Betty’s friends return her gifts of kindness in hopes that the King and Queen will decide that Betty truly is the Fairiest Fairy of them all!

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Childrens, Animals, Poetry, Fiction, Fairies

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 12, 2016

About the author

Anne Booth always wanted to be a children’s writer, but has also cleared tables in a restaurant, sold books, been a tour guide at a haunted medieval hospital, taught English in Italy, and organized arts and crafts in a nursing home, among other things. Anne Booth lives in Kent, England, with her husband, four children, two hens, and two dogs.

Reviews

[Jacoba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh

[Shiloah · Rating 3 out of 5]

If they didn’t generically moralize the story near the end it could have been better. The best stories don’t need the moral spelled out in black and white. It makes the meaning richer.

[Artemis Crescent · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025 EDIT: I've come back to this, and decided, what the heck: It's a cute, creative and lovely story about self-esteem, helping people and subsequently yourself, kindness, friendship, and doing things your way.

No one is messy or muddled. No one is useless or worthless. No one is "wrong". Everyone is different.

'The Fairiest Fairy' - such a good and helpful little story for children. And adults finding themselves when they have lost their way.

And it's an absolutely charming and adorable fairy tale.

Final Score: 3.5/5





Original Review:



Dew drops on roses,
Laces on butterflies,
Thorns on a rabbit's foot
and new friends and happy royals' sighs,
Rainbows painted in the sky messily;
These are only a few things I adore about 'The Fairiest Fairy'!


Poppy love! This is a cute picture book about friendship and aid in unexpected places. We each have our own strengths in certain fields, while others can help us with our weaknesses. Everything happens for a reason, even when you are sad and feeling useless and different.

The future's bright. The future's Fairies!

Final Score: 4/5

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here are my three top questions about this work of fiction:

1. Why, exactly, would Betty the Fairy have to constantly compete with the other fairies?

2. Why is so much of this story about being forced to do tricks, and then being judged on her performance?

3. For that matter, why would Betty have to learn any spells? I'm no astral specialist, but I thought spells were done by certain human beings (witches) and also the astral beings who do their bidding. To my knowledge, fairies aren't witches, no more than they are leprechauns or cherubim or seraphim.

I Would Seek Refuge in the Lovely Poetic Verses of the Text, Except...

Well, here's a sample.

All week the fairies practiced
waking flowers, sprinkling dew,
and painting PRETTY rainbows
with red and green and blue.

One problem that comes to mind here, for me, for instance, is how to make a rainbow out of just three colors. A puzzlement, but perhaps that's just me!

IN CONCLUSION

There has to be a market for stories like this. Anne Booth (and her editor) must have had some kind of readership in mind. And the pictures by Rosalind Beardshaw are certainly pretty.

So, I'll rate this book with FIVE STARS and hope that those ideal readers are very inspired.

Every single picture book doesn't have to be for me.

[Krystal Shoop-Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is just precious. It's all about the little fairy Betty, and will she get to be the fairest fairy of them all? She has many adventures on her way to see the Fairy King and Fairy Queen. She helps many animal friends along the way, and they join Betty on her journey. Rabbit, Blackbird, and Butterfly are her constant companions. My favorite line from the story is "Betty, you've shown us how to be a friend, and proved that helping others is what matters in the end." The pictures are just enchanting and very colorful with flowers, butterflies, ballerinas, rainbows, etc... I would use this book to teach young children about friendship, kindness, bravery, persistence, and love.

[Jamie Esperson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book to an extent. It has a very good message to kids about being fair and sharing and being a good friend but it is very detailed and long therefore I believe it would be best only for the older generation of kids. I also feel as though it repeated itself more then needed in order to make the book longer or extend. It did rhyme and used sound effects which made it more interesting but did not pull me in as much as I would have liked it to.

[Sirah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betty isn't really good at doing magic, but maybe there's something more important than little nature spells–friendship.

It shouldn't come as any surprise that Betty ends up as the fairiest fairy despite being clumsy and not very good at magic. I appreciate the way she goes about it though: it's not an inspiring self-help book but a recognition that some accommodation and help is a good thing. The illustrations in this one are just adorable, and the rhyme was well-crafted.

[Qamar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading ""The Fairiest Fairy"" by Anne Booth showed you how kindness and helping others make someone truly special. Betty the fairy taught us that it's not about being perfect, but about caring for those around us.

You learned that being kind is powerful. Remember, just like Betty, you can make a big difference with small acts of kindness every day, whether it's sharing with friends or helping at home.

Keep spreading kindness, Qamar. It's your superpower.

Love,
Mom and Dad

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Betty is nothing like the rest of the fairies. No matter how hard she tries she can't seem to do any fairy things right. Right she does do one thing right she helps those that she sees in need. Will she be the fairest fairy?

[Clementine · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's nothing revolutionary here and the rhyming text doesn't work at times, making it hard to keep the intended cadence going. Did anyone even read this aloud before publishing?

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young fairy in fairy school just can't seem to get hings right but every experiment leads her to a new friend. Can she pass the big test at the end? length is one on one

[Valencia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sweet story will delight children and adults alike. The illustrations are bright and colorful!

[Jeanine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fairy is celebrated for being clever, brave, and kind. Teaching others how to be a friend.

[Kym · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Betty things don't come easy. Trying them your own way and making friends along the way can be the best way.

[Robin Raines-Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fairiest Fairy is adorable. Your talents may be different from everyone else's talents , but they make you, you. The Fairiest Fairy is very fair at making friends. A cute book that teaches Kindness Counts!

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Betty the Fairy isn't as graceful and accomplished as her other friends. Even though she tries her best she never seems to get anything quite right. When she meets new animal friends who need help she finds that maybe after all her strength lies in other areas. With their help she may just be able to find new ways to accomplish the tasks ahead. Betty may need help making rainbows but she is unique in being able to form friendships.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story here is familiar: A young girl isn't able to do things like other children, so she feels left out. But doing things her way makes new friends who help her succeed. The illustrations are fanciful and fun and help make this book worth the read. Young children and lovers of all things fairy will enjoy it.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars Most of the way through this book I was thinking "This is a 3 star book" with nice pictures but as I finished it I bumped it to 3.25 stars. The moral of the story is FRIENDS and that works for me!!

[Jenn Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Betty is a fairy and unfortunately she cannot do "fairy like" things like all the other fairies can. But she does have an amazing group of friends who help her become the best fairy that she can be. My daughter enjoyed this. I loved the illustrations. Would recommend.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was long, but pretty and sparkly. This was tedious and heavy-handed, but pretty and sparkly. I don't know who it's audience would be exactly, but Madam enjoyed it.

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betty learns the joys and importance of friendship when she struggles to keep up in fairy school.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable colorful illustrations with a sweet message.

[Joan Arbogast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, love, love the illustrations.

[Heather Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

megan summer reading 2016, children's book, picture book, fairies, friends, helping, helpful, prek, kindergarten, first grade, second grade,

[Arielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

so cute and beautiful and bright and lovely. and a wonderful message in there about friendship too.

[Courtney]

Super cute story but a little long for a storytime. Might work for an older or more patient outreach group.

[Tegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is so cute! It reminded me a lot of the first Tinkerbell movie. The illustrations are beautiful as well.