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The Magical Animals Fairies #5
Sophia the Snow Swan Fairy
Sophia the Snow Swan Fairy
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
31 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Daisy Meadows
1,124 books740 followersDaisy Meadows is the pseudonym used for the four writers of the Rainbow Magic children's series: Narinder Dhami, Sue Bentley, Linda Chapman, and Sue Mongredien. Rainbow Magic features differing groups of fairies as main characters, including the Jewel fairies, Weather fairies, Pet fairies, Petal fairies, and Sporty fairies.
Narinder Dhami was born in Wolverhampton, England on November 15, 1958. She received a degree in English from Birmingham University in 1980. After having taught in primary and secondary schools for several years she began to write full-time. Dhami has published many retellings of popular Disney stories and wrote the Animal Stars and Babes series, the latter about young British girls of Asian origin. She lives in Cambridge, England with her husband and cats.
Sue Bentley was born in Northampton, England. She worked in a library after completing her education and began writing for children once her own began school. Bentley is the author of the Magic Kitten, Magic Puppy, and S Club series and lives in Northamptonshire.
Linda Chapman has written over 50 children's fiction books, including the following series: My Secret Unicorn, Stardust, Not Quite a Mermaid, and Unicorn School. She lives in Leicestershire with her husband and daughters.
Sue Mongredien was born in 1970 and grew up in Nottingham, England. She has published over 100 children's books, including the following series: The Adventures of Captain Pugwash, The Magic Key, Frightful Families, and Oliver Moon. She has also contributed many titles to the Sleepover Club series and written picture books. Mongredien created the Royal Ballet School Diaries under the pen name Alexandra Moss. She lives with her family in Bath, England.
Narinder Dhami was born in Wolverhampton, England on November 15, 1958. She received a degree in English from Birmingham University in 1980. After having taught in primary and secondary schools for several years she began to write full-time. Dhami has published many retellings of popular Disney stories and wrote the Animal Stars and Babes series, the latter about young British girls of Asian origin. She lives in Cambridge, England with her husband and cats.
Sue Bentley was born in Northampton, England. She worked in a library after completing her education and began writing for children once her own began school. Bentley is the author of the Magic Kitten, Magic Puppy, and S Club series and lives in Northamptonshire.
Linda Chapman has written over 50 children's fiction books, including the following series: My Secret Unicorn, Stardust, Not Quite a Mermaid, and Unicorn School. She lives in Leicestershire with her husband and daughters.
Sue Mongredien was born in 1970 and grew up in Nottingham, England. She has published over 100 children's books, including the following series: The Adventures of Captain Pugwash, The Magic Key, Frightful Families, and Oliver Moon. She has also contributed many titles to the Sleepover Club series and written picture books. Mongredien created the Royal Ballet School Diaries under the pen name Alexandra Moss. She lives with her family in Bath, England.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 26, 2020
Taj, age 5: I loved this book so much that I’ll read it every day. It was an adventure and was about camping and I never went camping before so I was so excited about it. There was only one fairy and she had a pet swan. I think another fairy had a unicorn pet. I love the color of her fluffy shoes. I just love everything about it.
May 27, 2020
Harper age 8 I like this because the fairy try to break the ice.I like that the fairy turn the girls.
September 7, 2025
4.5 Stars!
I’m so sorry, but I think Ashley the Dragon Fairy has officially been dethroned as my favourite Magical Animal Fairies book. (Please don’t ask me why I’m reading the series out of order, I don’t really know either.)
“The magic snow swan spreads compassion,” Rachel remembered. “That’s when you’re kind to someone who is sad or hurt, I think, and you try to help them feel better.”
This book already won me over by going back to what is one of its main draws for me (and why I never shut up about Ashley the Dragon Fairy), which is its messaging and how it’s such an engaging way for kids to learn about core values like bravery and compassion. What I appreciated about this particular book is that it specified how Belle’s (the magic snow swan) powers don’t force compassion onto people, but rather, they heighten the compassion that already exists within someone, no matter how deep it’s buried. I think that’s such an important distinction to make because it highlights how people shouldn’t have emotions and attributes like compassion forced upon them, especially if they haven’t developed the capacity for them. It just wouldn’t be genuine if that were the case. I know it might seem like I’m reading way too into a kid’s book yet again, but I think that it’s possible to use books like this to teach kids about maintaining healthy emotional boundaries as they learn how to regulate both their emotions and the emotions of those around them.I will get off my soapbox now, thank you.
“A snow swan sings this song only if it senses that a person has compassion deep in their heart, compassion that needs to be unlocked.”
Just to quickly address the scene I’m referencing above, I initially thought that the goblin was being compelled by Belle into feeling compassion and I was instantly reminded of the questionable ethics behind Winx Club S4 because the girls were literally brainwashing the people of Gardenia into being nice and I really thought for a second that Sue Mongredien was in the writers’ room for that season. And maybe she should’ve been, given how she did a better job in one book with the themes the writers of that season were trying to tackle.
The writers of Rainbow Magic, specifically these early books, deserve so much more love and appreciation. Sue Mongredien's writing is so gorgeous, I can't believe that this exists in a children's book. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the art! (These kids are so lucky. Why can’t I get prose like this in the books meant for my demographic?) Here’s what stuck out to me:
-The Swan Lake references, because if there’s a book to cram a bunch of Swan Lake references into, it’s this one. I’m obviously not the writer, so I have no idea if this was intentional, but I think that setting this particular book during nighttime was such a great choice, especially since we rarely get nighttime settings for Rainbow Magic books (hence why I’m so adamant on this being a reference to Swan Lake).
-I also think that having Sophia in a ballerina-style skirt with this pink and lilac/blue colour scheme was a wonderful design choice, and again, I’m choosing to believe that this is a nod to Swan Lake. Speaking of her design though, it’s simply perfect. It corresponds really well to her magical animal, the snow swan, with her feathered skirt; plus, there’s just something so elegant about Sophia’s hair, which fits since swans are such an elegant animal.
-The foreshadowing of having Sophia mention how they can’t get their wings wet, otherwise they won’t be able to fly. Speaking of which, I love that the girls can still have new experiences even after being turned into fairies so many times! The scene of them flying by the waterfall was so well written.
-Okay, so, I usually get mad if the girls are suddenly nervous to be around goblins, but we've already established that this trail they're walking is kind of spooky at night, so I'm okay with them being scared to come across the goblins in this particular instance.
-This book had some of the most stellar characterization all around because not only were Kirsty and Rachel in-character (which doesn’t always happen, unfortunately), but Sophia was so cool, and I’m always down to see the goblins be given some sort of depth to their characters.
=>I loved seeing Kirsty take initiative again! She was like, ‘why wait around for fairies and goblins when we can just take Belle back to Fairyland ourselves’ and she was so valid for that.
=>My love for menace!Rachel is fairly well-known, especially since that’s the consistent aspect of her character, but I get so excited when Kirsty gets murderous and unleashes menace!Kirsty every time something happens to Rachel. Trust me, it’s the practical and level-headed one you don’t want to make angry.
=>Sophia is an icon. First of all, she clearly went to the Erin school of dramatic theatre-kid ass entrances. (It was giving Flora from Winx Club, but specifically her Enchantix transformation sequence.) Second of all, she’s totally a murder-fairy adjacent, given how she threatened the leftover goblins.
=>“She and I have a little game we play in Fairyland — I sing the first part of a song and she sings the second. It always makes her so happy that she ends up singing very high.” - I really liked this detail because so far, the fairies haven’t had a close dynamic with their magical animals the way that the Pet Fairies did with their animal companions. I do remember them saying in Ashley’s book that, unlike the Pet Fairies, these guys train different magical animals every few years. I’m not sure if that means different species or their animals just age out and they get new snow swans or something, but I digress. I think I just found it interesting that while Ashley and Erin clearly love their animals, this little anecdote just makes it seem like Sophia and Belle have a deeper bond.(Or maybe Sophia’s just a more playful person, who knows, I should shut up now.)
=>“It felt wrong to keep the swan when she wanted to be with her fairy friend. I’m proud of what I did — it was the right thing to do.” // “I don’t think I want to work for Jack Frost anymore. Maybe I’ll set up a rescue center to help all the lost and lonely animals of Fairyland.” - I absolutely adored the scene where Belle recognized the goodness deep within the goblin who captured her and helped him do the right thing. I know that the second line was probably meant to be funny, and it was, but I’m honestly such a sucker for goblins that are given something to do beyond just being generic stupid evil goblin #5624568.No, that scene didn’t make me feel just the littlest bit emotional, what even.
details that felt revolutionary to me:
-Moonbows, because they’re actually a real thing. (Rainbow Magic is always teaching me something new.)
-The Petal Fairies reference, because I love it when we reference previous series!
-I got chills when that goblin shot an ice beam at Rachel. (NO PUN INTENDED, I SWEAR, I WAS DISTRAUGHT!) Why is she always in the line of fire? I’m gonna make a list of all the books where Rachel gets shot with an ice beam because there are more than you’d expect.
stellar commentary from yours truly:
-when they mentioned taking a night hike - that’s an accident waiting to happen
-when they specified that Sophia is, in fact, wearing ballet flats - the shoe choices are special TO ME
-when Kirsty just casually mentioned that one of the goblins has a wand - WHAT
-“You mean… she thinks that the goblin has compassion inside him?” - Kirsty is so valid for this because they almost killed her best-friend.
I’m so sorry, but I think Ashley the Dragon Fairy has officially been dethroned as my favourite Magical Animal Fairies book. (Please don’t ask me why I’m reading the series out of order, I don’t really know either.)
“The magic snow swan spreads compassion,” Rachel remembered. “That’s when you’re kind to someone who is sad or hurt, I think, and you try to help them feel better.”
This book already won me over by going back to what is one of its main draws for me (and why I never shut up about Ashley the Dragon Fairy), which is its messaging and how it’s such an engaging way for kids to learn about core values like bravery and compassion. What I appreciated about this particular book is that it specified how Belle’s (the magic snow swan) powers don’t force compassion onto people, but rather, they heighten the compassion that already exists within someone, no matter how deep it’s buried. I think that’s such an important distinction to make because it highlights how people shouldn’t have emotions and attributes like compassion forced upon them, especially if they haven’t developed the capacity for them. It just wouldn’t be genuine if that were the case. I know it might seem like I’m reading way too into a kid’s book yet again, but I think that it’s possible to use books like this to teach kids about maintaining healthy emotional boundaries as they learn how to regulate both their emotions and the emotions of those around them.
“A snow swan sings this song only if it senses that a person has compassion deep in their heart, compassion that needs to be unlocked.”
Just to quickly address the scene I’m referencing above, I initially thought that the goblin was being compelled by Belle into feeling compassion and I was instantly reminded of the questionable ethics behind Winx Club S4 because the girls were literally brainwashing the people of Gardenia into being nice and I really thought for a second that Sue Mongredien was in the writers’ room for that season. And maybe she should’ve been, given how she did a better job in one book with the themes the writers of that season were trying to tackle.
The writers of Rainbow Magic, specifically these early books, deserve so much more love and appreciation. Sue Mongredien's writing is so gorgeous, I can't believe that this exists in a children's book. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the art! (These kids are so lucky. Why can’t I get prose like this in the books meant for my demographic?) Here’s what stuck out to me:
-The Swan Lake references, because if there’s a book to cram a bunch of Swan Lake references into, it’s this one. I’m obviously not the writer, so I have no idea if this was intentional, but I think that setting this particular book during nighttime was such a great choice, especially since we rarely get nighttime settings for Rainbow Magic books (hence why I’m so adamant on this being a reference to Swan Lake).
-I also think that having Sophia in a ballerina-style skirt with this pink and lilac/blue colour scheme was a wonderful design choice, and again, I’m choosing to believe that this is a nod to Swan Lake. Speaking of her design though, it’s simply perfect. It corresponds really well to her magical animal, the snow swan, with her feathered skirt; plus, there’s just something so elegant about Sophia’s hair, which fits since swans are such an elegant animal.
-The foreshadowing of having Sophia mention how they can’t get their wings wet, otherwise they won’t be able to fly. Speaking of which, I love that the girls can still have new experiences even after being turned into fairies so many times! The scene of them flying by the waterfall was so well written.
-Okay, so, I usually get mad if the girls are suddenly nervous to be around goblins, but we've already established that this trail they're walking is kind of spooky at night, so I'm okay with them being scared to come across the goblins in this particular instance.
-This book had some of the most stellar characterization all around because not only were Kirsty and Rachel in-character (which doesn’t always happen, unfortunately), but Sophia was so cool, and I’m always down to see the goblins be given some sort of depth to their characters.
=>I loved seeing Kirsty take initiative again! She was like, ‘why wait around for fairies and goblins when we can just take Belle back to Fairyland ourselves’ and she was so valid for that.
=>My love for menace!Rachel is fairly well-known, especially since that’s the consistent aspect of her character, but I get so excited when Kirsty gets murderous and unleashes menace!Kirsty every time something happens to Rachel. Trust me, it’s the practical and level-headed one you don’t want to make angry.
=>Sophia is an icon. First of all, she clearly went to the Erin school of dramatic theatre-kid ass entrances. (It was giving Flora from Winx Club, but specifically her Enchantix transformation sequence.) Second of all, she’s totally a murder-fairy adjacent, given how she threatened the leftover goblins.
=>“She and I have a little game we play in Fairyland — I sing the first part of a song and she sings the second. It always makes her so happy that she ends up singing very high.” - I really liked this detail because so far, the fairies haven’t had a close dynamic with their magical animals the way that the Pet Fairies did with their animal companions. I do remember them saying in Ashley’s book that, unlike the Pet Fairies, these guys train different magical animals every few years. I’m not sure if that means different species or their animals just age out and they get new snow swans or something, but I digress. I think I just found it interesting that while Ashley and Erin clearly love their animals, this little anecdote just makes it seem like Sophia and Belle have a deeper bond.
=>“It felt wrong to keep the swan when she wanted to be with her fairy friend. I’m proud of what I did — it was the right thing to do.” // “I don’t think I want to work for Jack Frost anymore. Maybe I’ll set up a rescue center to help all the lost and lonely animals of Fairyland.” - I absolutely adored the scene where Belle recognized the goodness deep within the goblin who captured her and helped him do the right thing. I know that the second line was probably meant to be funny, and it was, but I’m honestly such a sucker for goblins that are given something to do beyond just being generic stupid evil goblin #5624568.
details that felt revolutionary to me:
-Moonbows, because they’re actually a real thing. (Rainbow Magic is always teaching me something new.)
-The Petal Fairies reference, because I love it when we reference previous series!
-I got chills when that goblin shot an ice beam at Rachel. (NO PUN INTENDED, I SWEAR, I WAS DISTRAUGHT!) Why is she always in the line of fire? I’m gonna make a list of all the books where Rachel gets shot with an ice beam because there are more than you’d expect.
stellar commentary from yours truly:
-when they mentioned taking a night hike - that’s an accident waiting to happen
-when they specified that Sophia is, in fact, wearing ballet flats - the shoe choices are special TO ME
-when Kirsty just casually mentioned that one of the goblins has a wand - WHAT
-“You mean… she thinks that the goblin has compassion inside him?” - Kirsty is so valid for this because they almost killed her best-friend.
February 1, 2019
The Magical Animal Fairies are the 11th series and represents different qualities in life,like humour and compassion. These magical animals are babies and still in training so sometimes they over-do their quality (or cause the opposite).
There are seven Magical Animal fairies and they are: Ashley the Dragon Fairy, Lara the Black Cat Fairy, Erin the Firebird Fairy, Rihanna the Seahorse Fairy, Sophia the Snow Swan Fairy, Leona the Unicorn Fairy and Caitlin the Ice Bear Fairy.
Despite the endless patience of the girls' parents in supporting their school holiday friendship, it's nice to see them get away for a change. This series is set at Adventure Camp which means we get to explore everything from Moonbows, to stalactites, to bird-watching towers. We liked the tunnels/waterfall best as a location and the funny joke inspiring firebird best from the animals.
There are seven special animals,
Who live in Fairyland.
They use their magic powers,
To help others where they can.
A dragon, black cat, firebird,
A seahorse and snow swan, too.
A unicorn and ice bear -
I know just what to do.
I'll lock them in my castle,
And never let them out.
The world will turn more miserable,
Of that, I have no doubt.
There are seven Magical Animal fairies and they are: Ashley the Dragon Fairy, Lara the Black Cat Fairy, Erin the Firebird Fairy, Rihanna the Seahorse Fairy, Sophia the Snow Swan Fairy, Leona the Unicorn Fairy and Caitlin the Ice Bear Fairy.
Despite the endless patience of the girls' parents in supporting their school holiday friendship, it's nice to see them get away for a change. This series is set at Adventure Camp which means we get to explore everything from Moonbows, to stalactites, to bird-watching towers. We liked the tunnels/waterfall best as a location and the funny joke inspiring firebird best from the animals.
There are seven special animals,
Who live in Fairyland.
They use their magic powers,
To help others where they can.
A dragon, black cat, firebird,
A seahorse and snow swan, too.
A unicorn and ice bear -
I know just what to do.
I'll lock them in my castle,
And never let them out.
The world will turn more miserable,
Of that, I have no doubt.
November 14, 2022
Daisy Meadows and her fairies are my childhood. I collected so many in my youth, knowing all the fairies and their importance, and sticking with the two special girls who go to be a part of the magic.
Years ago I had to give my beautiful collection away, now still part of my childhood school where little girls are picking their favourite fairies and playing pretend. It's fun to hear stories from my old teachers telling me how over the years so many students have grabbed these books and fallen in love with the tales of two girls, Jack Frost and the fabulous glittering magic that is the fairies.
On Christmas last year, my sister surprised me with a boxset of these books, but cause you cannot collect these darlings as easily anymore. I was over the moon!
If anyone has a little one who needs a little magic in their life, wants to read and needs a big creation to be hooked on...it is Daisy Meadows!
Years ago I had to give my beautiful collection away, now still part of my childhood school where little girls are picking their favourite fairies and playing pretend. It's fun to hear stories from my old teachers telling me how over the years so many students have grabbed these books and fallen in love with the tales of two girls, Jack Frost and the fabulous glittering magic that is the fairies.
On Christmas last year, my sister surprised me with a boxset of these books, but cause you cannot collect these darlings as easily anymore. I was over the moon!
If anyone has a little one who needs a little magic in their life, wants to read and needs a big creation to be hooked on...it is Daisy Meadows!
July 11, 2020
A beautiful story. This had a mystical, breathtaking beauty about it. A lovely magical tale.
February 21, 2024
My seven year old picked this up at school for her library day it’s so cute !
Savannah : I loved the swan so much
Savannah : I loved the swan so much
April 21, 2024
The course of my life has forever been changed by that goblin starting his own animal sanctuary
May 14, 2025
Chapter book with pictures on every page. Fast paced.
Maggie age 6
I like the girls turning into fairies. And I like them turning 1 bad goblin into good.
Maggie age 6
I like the girls turning into fairies. And I like them turning 1 bad goblin into good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2025
belle, the magical snow swan, has escaped from Jack Frost, but Sophia doesn't know where she is! luckily, Rachel and Kirsty have spotted her, but the naughty goblins are not far behind ...
April 23, 2012
This is the fifth book in The Magical Animals Fairies series by the group of authors who go by the name Daisy Meadows. Our oldest and I have read most of the books in the various Rainbow Magic series and our youngest is just beginning to discover them now. This is a new series for all of us, so we are all taking turns reading these seven books independently.
As the series grows and grows, I'm pretty impressed that these authors can find new material. The plots are formulaic, but the various creatures are always new and different. I used to loathe these books, but they are quick reads and they helped to cultivate a love of reading within our girls and for that, I am grateful.
As the series grows and grows, I'm pretty impressed that these authors can find new material. The plots are formulaic, but the various creatures are always new and different. I used to loathe these books, but they are quick reads and they helped to cultivate a love of reading within our girls and for that, I am grateful.
February 15, 2015
Rachel and Kirsty are heading outdoors to go to camp. They see a beautiful Swan named Bella. There was a beautiful sky and Kirsty felt amazed. Along came Sophia the Snow Swan Fairy and she said "Have you seen my Swan Bella?" And when they found Bella she was trapped by goblins. The goblins put Bella the Swan in a cage made out of ice. I liked the book because it tells e that when I am in 3rd grade I'm going to go to camp.
January 23, 2014
This story takes place at night you know did you even know that? At the end of the story is my favorite because when the goblin was holding the snow swan it made the goblin have compassion in him and he let the snow swan go.
September 14, 2015
Found the swan. and then the fairy said have you seen my swan. and then it flew away. when they were walking they found the swan and gave it to the fairy.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews