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Twinkle #1
Twinkle
From the acclaimed author of the beloved Angelina Ballerina series comes a delightful picture book about a feisty fairy named Twinkle!
Twinkle is just starting to learn her spells in fairy school, and she can’t seem to understand that what comes naturally for all the other fairies-in-training is a bit of a struggle for her. With spells going sideways and frustration running high, this sweet, triumphant story about persistence is perfect for parents to share with their little ones who are learning new skills.
Twinkle is just starting to learn her spells in fairy school, and she can’t seem to understand that what comes naturally for all the other fairies-in-training is a bit of a struggle for her. With spells going sideways and frustration running high, this sweet, triumphant story about persistence is perfect for parents to share with their little ones who are learning new skills.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2014
5 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
Katharine Holabird
290 books81 followersKatharine Holabird is an American writer, best known as the author of the Angelina Ballerina series.
As a child, Holabird was an avid reader who loved fairy tales and stories about heroic animals, and she frequently saw ballets like Cinderella and Swan Lake with her grandmother. The young, imaginative Holabird loved animals, playing in her tree house, and dancing with her sisters. In 1969, she received a B.A. in literature from Bennington College in Vermont and then worked at Bennington College as a literary editor for a year after her graduation. Holabird then found herself in Italy as a freelance journalist where she met her husband, Michael Haggiag. The two married in 1974 and moved to London where she continued to write and worked at a nursery school.
In 1983, her first children’s book, Angelina Ballerina, was published. Holabird’s son, Adam, was her inspiration for the character Henry, and Angelina’s character was inspired by her daughters’ love for dressing up and dancing. Holabird wrote the first draft of Angelina Ballerina at the kitchen table with her daughters dancing around her. In fact, the Angelina books were originally about a girl, but then Craig drew a mouse, and Holabird loved it. “The impulsive character of Angelina came alive,” says Holabird, “and seemed to pirouette off the page with enthusiasm and energy, while her plump and ebullient body expressed drama and attitude in every twitch of her tail.” Angelina is a very emotional character; she is sensitive and often bursts into tears right before offering an apology. She struggles with her conscience but always ends up doing the right thing—which is very familiar to many young children. The universal childhood themes in Angelina include friendship, jealousy, loyalty, & dedication. Holabird’s goal was to realistically portray the difficulties of growing up. According to Holabird, it is a ballerina book for “all the passionate little dancers and performers in the world,” including her own two daughters, which is why she “decided to explore the impulsive, highly emotional character of a small but determined ballerina.”
The first American edition of Angelina Ballerina was published in 1984. A year later, Holabird received the Kentucky Bluegrass Award for Angelina Ballerina. In 1986 and 1987, she received the ALA Notable Book Awards. Angelina’s Christmas was selected as Child Study Association’s Children’s Book of the Year in 1987. The following year, Holabird and Craig published Alexander and the Dragon, their first Alexander book; it is aimed at preschool children who want to be consoled about bedtime monsters. In 1990, Holabird wrote the Alexander sequel, Alexander and the Magic Boat, which portrays a strong mother/son relationship while the two go on a voyage to imaginary worlds. Also in 1990, Holabird received the British Book Design and Production award.
In 1999, HIT Entertainment in London (known for Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, and Barney) secured the rights for Angelina Ballerina and commissioned Grand Slamm Children's Films to make an animated TV pilot. HIT also developed a lot of Angelina merchandise. Angelina made her worldwide television debut in 2001 on CITV in the United Kingdom. In 2002, the Angelina series premiered on PBS Kids TV in the United States. Angelina Ballerina’s Invitation to the Ballet received the prestigious Oppenheim Platinum Award in the U.S. in 2004. That same year, Angelina was named the official spokesperson of National Dance Week in the United States. In 2005, Angelina made her debut on PBS Kids Sprout, a twenty-four-hour digital television channel for preschoolers in the U.S.
As a child, Holabird was an avid reader who loved fairy tales and stories about heroic animals, and she frequently saw ballets like Cinderella and Swan Lake with her grandmother. The young, imaginative Holabird loved animals, playing in her tree house, and dancing with her sisters. In 1969, she received a B.A. in literature from Bennington College in Vermont and then worked at Bennington College as a literary editor for a year after her graduation. Holabird then found herself in Italy as a freelance journalist where she met her husband, Michael Haggiag. The two married in 1974 and moved to London where she continued to write and worked at a nursery school.
In 1983, her first children’s book, Angelina Ballerina, was published. Holabird’s son, Adam, was her inspiration for the character Henry, and Angelina’s character was inspired by her daughters’ love for dressing up and dancing. Holabird wrote the first draft of Angelina Ballerina at the kitchen table with her daughters dancing around her. In fact, the Angelina books were originally about a girl, but then Craig drew a mouse, and Holabird loved it. “The impulsive character of Angelina came alive,” says Holabird, “and seemed to pirouette off the page with enthusiasm and energy, while her plump and ebullient body expressed drama and attitude in every twitch of her tail.” Angelina is a very emotional character; she is sensitive and often bursts into tears right before offering an apology. She struggles with her conscience but always ends up doing the right thing—which is very familiar to many young children. The universal childhood themes in Angelina include friendship, jealousy, loyalty, & dedication. Holabird’s goal was to realistically portray the difficulties of growing up. According to Holabird, it is a ballerina book for “all the passionate little dancers and performers in the world,” including her own two daughters, which is why she “decided to explore the impulsive, highly emotional character of a small but determined ballerina.”
The first American edition of Angelina Ballerina was published in 1984. A year later, Holabird received the Kentucky Bluegrass Award for Angelina Ballerina. In 1986 and 1987, she received the ALA Notable Book Awards. Angelina’s Christmas was selected as Child Study Association’s Children’s Book of the Year in 1987. The following year, Holabird and Craig published Alexander and the Dragon, their first Alexander book; it is aimed at preschool children who want to be consoled about bedtime monsters. In 1990, Holabird wrote the Alexander sequel, Alexander and the Magic Boat, which portrays a strong mother/son relationship while the two go on a voyage to imaginary worlds. Also in 1990, Holabird received the British Book Design and Production award.
In 1999, HIT Entertainment in London (known for Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, and Barney) secured the rights for Angelina Ballerina and commissioned Grand Slamm Children's Films to make an animated TV pilot. HIT also developed a lot of Angelina merchandise. Angelina made her worldwide television debut in 2001 on CITV in the United Kingdom. In 2002, the Angelina series premiered on PBS Kids TV in the United States. Angelina Ballerina’s Invitation to the Ballet received the prestigious Oppenheim Platinum Award in the U.S. in 2004. That same year, Angelina was named the official spokesperson of National Dance Week in the United States. In 2005, Angelina made her debut on PBS Kids Sprout, a twenty-four-hour digital television channel for preschoolers in the U.S.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 3, 2019
My review: "Meh."
My 5 year old's review: "I love the sparkles!"
That pretty much sums it up.
My 5 year old's review: "I love the sparkles!"
That pretty much sums it up.
May 10, 2021
Rather like her Angelina Ballerina books if they had magic and fairies. Edging on the twee, but Holabird escapes that with just a little fairy dust left to spare.
May 8, 2018
I read this book in Dutch, but will write my review in English. Just like I did for book 3 in this series!
I was so delighted when I found this book at one of my libraries. I loved the third Twinkle book, and have been meaning to get the other books as well. But in the end I totally forgot. :P Oops. Too many books out there calling for my attention.
So in this one Twinkle starts with using magic, it is her first day at The Fairy School of Magic and Music. She gets her favourite colour of wand (yay!), but then the trouble starts. Reciting spells sounds easy, but try it out yourself and you will see it isn't easy! I loved that while Twinkle's spell seemed to go all haywire and bring out more chaos, she still kept trying to get better. Even if that meant waking the whole forest in the middle of the night. :P Yep, those poor animals, thinking they can have a nice sleep, and then there is this fairy poofing and sparking everything up.
I thought it interesting that when a fairy feels down or unhappy that their wings seem to change into another colour. Like Twinkle's wings went from bright and sparkly pink to sad and gloomy blue.
I loved the teacher though, she really helped out. I wonder why she didn't tell this to the class earlier, I am sure there are other fairies who could also have benefited from this tidbit.
It was oh so fun to see more of the world where Twinkle and her friends live. I wouldn't mind seeing even more though!
Like with the third book, I just adored the art. It is so cute, adorable, fun, sparkly (yes, really everything is so sparkly). Once again tons and tons of pink!
All in all, I will have to see if my library has the second book, I can't wait to see what kind of adventures Twinkle will get into in that one. Recommended to all!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I was so delighted when I found this book at one of my libraries. I loved the third Twinkle book, and have been meaning to get the other books as well. But in the end I totally forgot. :P Oops. Too many books out there calling for my attention.
So in this one Twinkle starts with using magic, it is her first day at The Fairy School of Magic and Music. She gets her favourite colour of wand (yay!), but then the trouble starts. Reciting spells sounds easy, but try it out yourself and you will see it isn't easy! I loved that while Twinkle's spell seemed to go all haywire and bring out more chaos, she still kept trying to get better. Even if that meant waking the whole forest in the middle of the night. :P Yep, those poor animals, thinking they can have a nice sleep, and then there is this fairy poofing and sparking everything up.
I thought it interesting that when a fairy feels down or unhappy that their wings seem to change into another colour. Like Twinkle's wings went from bright and sparkly pink to sad and gloomy blue.
I loved the teacher though, she really helped out. I wonder why she didn't tell this to the class earlier, I am sure there are other fairies who could also have benefited from this tidbit.
It was oh so fun to see more of the world where Twinkle and her friends live. I wouldn't mind seeing even more though!
Like with the third book, I just adored the art. It is so cute, adorable, fun, sparkly (yes, really everything is so sparkly). Once again tons and tons of pink!
All in all, I will have to see if my library has the second book, I can't wait to see what kind of adventures Twinkle will get into in that one. Recommended to all!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
March 30, 2019
Lots of good things to unpack here - the importance of practice, *following instructions,* that there's more than one way to remember and learn things....
But also, it's a cute story about a sparkle-loving fairy getting herself in and out of some trouble.
But also, it's a cute story about a sparkle-loving fairy getting herself in and out of some trouble.
June 12, 2019
Cute and colorful book!
September 7, 2025
It's Twinkle's first day at The Fairy School of Magic and Music, but she can't quite control her wand of magic or remember the spells. She causes a ruckus until her teacher Miss Flutterbee comes up with a suggestion to help Twinkle show more control
February 11, 2019
Imagination soars into a magical world of fairies, music and adorable mishaps.
It's Twinkle's first day at The Fairy School of Magic and Music. Not only is she excited, but she's nervous too! Upon arriving, she receives her own magical wand. The teacher leads them into the first exercise with important magical words, but Twinkle can't seem to get it right. When the teacher tells her to practice at home, but strictly warns that Twinkle shouldn't do this after it gets dark, silly chaos ensues.
The super sweet cover with sparkles and swirling clutter fits so well to the rest of the story. Even the first flip of the cover is a treat as a gorgeous fairy tree with tons of precious details spreads across the jacket. This alone captures young and old's attention with all sorts of small things to discover. When the first page is turned, a fun adventure begins.
The story has all of the happy, joyfully-petite feelings often associated with fairies. And Twinkle is a sweet one. Her slightly clumsy side makes her sympathetic and easy to cheer for as she struggles to get things right. She's determined, kind and puts in so much effort. The idea that not everything comes easily but can take practice and hard work is a message little listeners will relate to themselves. While the message is clear, it by no means takes over the fun story. There are tons of moments to giggle, and cute animals to want to cuddle. And all of this is wrapped up in a wonderful tale, which can be read again and again.
The illustrations flow right along with the text. While the story itself can be told over and over again, the pictures add so much detail and delightful fun. It's the illustrations which give Twinkle life and make her attempts to learn her magic hit home.
This is a delightful read for all fairy, magical lands, and pink fans.
I received a complimentary copy and found this story so sweet (as did the kids I read it to) that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.
It's Twinkle's first day at The Fairy School of Magic and Music. Not only is she excited, but she's nervous too! Upon arriving, she receives her own magical wand. The teacher leads them into the first exercise with important magical words, but Twinkle can't seem to get it right. When the teacher tells her to practice at home, but strictly warns that Twinkle shouldn't do this after it gets dark, silly chaos ensues.
The super sweet cover with sparkles and swirling clutter fits so well to the rest of the story. Even the first flip of the cover is a treat as a gorgeous fairy tree with tons of precious details spreads across the jacket. This alone captures young and old's attention with all sorts of small things to discover. When the first page is turned, a fun adventure begins.
The story has all of the happy, joyfully-petite feelings often associated with fairies. And Twinkle is a sweet one. Her slightly clumsy side makes her sympathetic and easy to cheer for as she struggles to get things right. She's determined, kind and puts in so much effort. The idea that not everything comes easily but can take practice and hard work is a message little listeners will relate to themselves. While the message is clear, it by no means takes over the fun story. There are tons of moments to giggle, and cute animals to want to cuddle. And all of this is wrapped up in a wonderful tale, which can be read again and again.
The illustrations flow right along with the text. While the story itself can be told over and over again, the pictures add so much detail and delightful fun. It's the illustrations which give Twinkle life and make her attempts to learn her magic hit home.
This is a delightful read for all fairy, magical lands, and pink fans.
I received a complimentary copy and found this story so sweet (as did the kids I read it to) that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.
June 29, 2022
While the themes of this book are laudable (perseverance, friendship, asking for help/learning from mistakes, first day of school), it’s very rushed and doesn’t make that much sense. For one thing, the title, simply “Twinkle”, doesn’t give any clue to what the story is actually about—titles that are just the name of the main character usually indicate biographical themes. Perhaps a book called “Twinkle” should introduce us to Twinkle’s world, give us some background, help us meet her friends. This is a story about Twinkle’s first day of school and a challenge she faces learning spells, so perhaps a better title would have been “Twinkle Goes to Fairy School” or “Twinkle and the Tricky Spell”.
My other issue with the book is that the author just tells us many details, rather than showing us through expository writing. Pippa and Lulu are Twinkle’s best friends, but they’re just introduced to us as her best friends already. We don’t know anything about them. When Twinkle’s teacher suggests she sing her spells because she likes singing so much, we ask ourselves “Really? She likes to sing?” It was never mentioned until that point in the story. It’s the children’s book equivalent of “Somehow, Palpatine returned.”
Although this is apparently the first book in a series, it feels like book #2. We’re missing lots of background in this rushed sparkly story.
My other issue with the book is that the author just tells us many details, rather than showing us through expository writing. Pippa and Lulu are Twinkle’s best friends, but they’re just introduced to us as her best friends already. We don’t know anything about them. When Twinkle’s teacher suggests she sing her spells because she likes singing so much, we ask ourselves “Really? She likes to sing?” It was never mentioned until that point in the story. It’s the children’s book equivalent of “Somehow, Palpatine returned.”
Although this is apparently the first book in a series, it feels like book #2. We’re missing lots of background in this rushed sparkly story.
April 17, 2023
So, successfully casting spells is a matter of memory?
Funny, I didn't get that impression from reading all of the Harry Potter books. Maybe Hogwarts owls would only fly to your home, bearing acceptance letters, if the young witch or wizard could memorize simple words.
SERIOUSLY, AN EXCELLENT PROBLEM SOLVING METHOD, FOR SOME, IS INCLUDED IN "TWINKLE"
Singing is an excellent solution for learning, at least for those of us with some clairaudience. (Every human has many gifts for deeper perception, according to what I've discovered when writing books like some on my Author Page here on Goodreads.)
Sure, I'll give this book FIVE STARS. Especially since, by the end, this plot turns into a musical comedy.
My favorite kind of plot: Far as I'm concerned, my life is a musical comedy. (Mostly.)
Funny, I didn't get that impression from reading all of the Harry Potter books. Maybe Hogwarts owls would only fly to your home, bearing acceptance letters, if the young witch or wizard could memorize simple words.
SERIOUSLY, AN EXCELLENT PROBLEM SOLVING METHOD, FOR SOME, IS INCLUDED IN "TWINKLE"
Singing is an excellent solution for learning, at least for those of us with some clairaudience. (Every human has many gifts for deeper perception, according to what I've discovered when writing books like some on my Author Page here on Goodreads.)
Sure, I'll give this book FIVE STARS. Especially since, by the end, this plot turns into a musical comedy.
My favorite kind of plot: Far as I'm concerned, my life is a musical comedy. (Mostly.)
February 15, 2019
A very cute story about a fairy,Twinkle, who learns how to do magic in fairy school. Twinkle makes lots of mistakes in the beginning but with encouragement from her teacher she learns how to do spells. I LOVED all the different and unique words they used. There were also a few pages with glitter, my favorite!
This would be a great book to read one-on-one for a fairy fan (you HAVE to touch the glitter!) or for the beginning of the school year in an elementary class.
This would be a great book to read one-on-one for a fairy fan (you HAVE to touch the glitter!) or for the beginning of the school year in an elementary class.
January 20, 2019
From the author of the beloved Angelina Ballerina series, we meet a new character - Twinkle - who is starting Fairy and Music school. She is having some trouble gaining control of the new spells and while she shows determination by practicing late into the night and creating quite a ruckus. Luckily she has a teacher that sees her strengths and helps her learn new ways of doing her spells.
April 7, 2019
Great readaloud. Lots of silliness, lots of pretty fairy pictures. Twinkle isn't as good at spells as the other fairies in her class, so she accidentally causes a lot of chaos, but with some advice from her teacher (try singing your spells to help you remember them), she does much better. Good for fans of fairies and silliness and younger kids who find themselves struggling in school.
January 14, 2024
I just want to say first of all that I'm attempting to read all the picture books my library has, otherwise I would probably never pick something like this up. A little fairy is very powerful and turns everything pink. Her fairy godmother likes it. Then the little fairy becomes even more powerful and has rainbow powers. This is as awful as it sounds. Sorry.
February 9, 2026
Fiction
Kindergarten- 2nd Grade
Not one of my favorite reads and the most entertaining either. I feel like this book would have to be something in the library not for a read-aloud. I also feel like the actions that took place did not flow very well together, it felt almost rushed in a way. Additionally, I feel like the book could have used more consistent glitter, either go all in or not.
Kindergarten- 2nd Grade
Not one of my favorite reads and the most entertaining either. I feel like this book would have to be something in the library not for a read-aloud. I also feel like the actions that took place did not flow very well together, it felt almost rushed in a way. Additionally, I feel like the book could have used more consistent glitter, either go all in or not.
February 21, 2020
Twinkle will be a favorite of any child who loves fairies, the color pink, spells, and poring over illustrations. In addition to the fun of Twinkle's spell-learning antics, each spread has a world to explore.
November 29, 2021
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Grade Level: P-1
This book is adorable! I love the illustrations and all of the sparkle and color! I love how this lesson is all about following rules and asking for help when you need it. It is such a cute book! I would have been obsessed with this as a kid!
Grade Level: P-1
This book is adorable! I love the illustrations and all of the sparkle and color! I love how this lesson is all about following rules and asking for help when you need it. It is such a cute book! I would have been obsessed with this as a kid!
January 21, 2019
I see the appeal to children.
August 3, 2019
3 stars
November 1, 2019
There's not much to the story, but it is VERY cute, and our two-year-old did love the glitter and the silly grumpy animals.
May 4, 2020
An elementary and up picture book about a fairy going to school and having a hard time mastering her spells. Nice friendship and perseverance themes.
May 27, 2021
Absolutely adorable! Little girls will love this, lots of pink, lots of sparkles. The details in the drawings are very elaborate and creative.
April 23, 2024
I like this book. It was fun
May 13, 2024
Really nice children's book! I love the art and the rhymes in it.
June 21, 2025
My 5 years old said this is her favourite!
February 2, 2021
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Grades: PreK-2
This was an interesting book. It was definitely a book that I could see students enjoying in their free read time. The illustrations were very vibrant and stood out to me. To me, it seemed like a book that only some students could get into, which is why I would choose to recommend it to students that enjoy fairy books, but probably not the whole class. I wasn't a huge fan of it, but I do think some students might take joy in getting lost in a made up fairy world with magic.
Grades: PreK-2
This was an interesting book. It was definitely a book that I could see students enjoying in their free read time. The illustrations were very vibrant and stood out to me. To me, it seemed like a book that only some students could get into, which is why I would choose to recommend it to students that enjoy fairy books, but probably not the whole class. I wasn't a huge fan of it, but I do think some students might take joy in getting lost in a made up fairy world with magic.
March 8, 2021
This book is a primary grade book and modern fantasy. This book was so up my alley! I love pink and sparkles any day, and I really fell in love with this book! I think any girly girl would love reading this book and have a ball reading it! This really lets girls use their imagination and also helps them realize how wonderful they are and all they have to be in be themselves, nothing more.
January 2, 2017
It's Twinkle's first day at The Fairy School of Magic and Music, and she can't wait to make spells like all the big fairies. But Twinkle keeps forgetting the magic words and her spells go from bad to worse!
I chose this book without knowing anything other than what was written on the dust jacket to be the first book I read aloud to my new granddaughter. I couldn't possibly have made a luckier pick. Twinkle fits my daughter perfectly, and we both laughed out loud at the sparkly, fairy story. Loved it and loved reading it to our baby girl.
I chose this book without knowing anything other than what was written on the dust jacket to be the first book I read aloud to my new granddaughter. I couldn't possibly have made a luckier pick. Twinkle fits my daughter perfectly, and we both laughed out loud at the sparkly, fairy story. Loved it and loved reading it to our baby girl.
March 24, 2016
Beautiful little book. This would have been my favourite book as a 3-6 year old. It's a lovely story with amazing pictures.
November 23, 2014
Picture book about a fairy, Winkle, starting fairy school, but getting her spells wrong.
? a bit too long, and twee for storytimes.
Busy pictures with lots of little images going on.
? a bit too long, and twee for storytimes.
Busy pictures with lots of little images going on.
September 20, 2015
Een snoezig, zuurstokroze prentenboek met glitters. De illustraties zijn erg leuk, maar het verhaaltje is wat mager. Er zit wel een goede tip voor kinderen in om dingen beter te onthouden.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews