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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
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
During WWI two young girls created photographs of fairies that one of them 'saw'. The photos found their way to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who believed in the existence of fairies. He wrote an article and included the photos. The girls kept their secret well into their grandmotherhood!
The story of these photographs along with the cover, drew me to the book. It's a super quick read, I read it in an afternoon. I'm imagining it appealing to upper elementary, probably mostly girls. I enjoyed it for the ...more
The story of these photographs along with the cover, drew me to the book. It's a super quick read, I read it in an afternoon. I'm imagining it appealing to upper elementary, probably mostly girls. I enjoyed it for the ...more
I'm not sure who the audience is for this book. It's written in a very elementary style, but there's way too much information for the elementary age group. Yes, I could be underestimating the elementary reading level, but if they are reading that much then they deserve better writing.
Informative, but not very entertaining.
It made me sad to learn why it was so important that fairies are real for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
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Informative, but not very entertaining.
It made me sad to learn why it was so important that fairies are real for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
...more
A perfectly pleasant read. Could have been a tad more engaging and I would have liked to have seen more description of how the girls felt during certain events, but this lack of information is the fault of the subject matter by its very nature. It's pretty clear that the author did quite a bit of research and did what she could with what she found.
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Nonfiction is not my favorite thing to read, but this was a pretty good one. The pictures were just great and the story kept me engaged. Best of all was that the author kept the possibility of fairies alive for the reader. This is a children's book, after all!
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I really enjoy Elsie and Frances' story, but this book was a bit uninspired. It didn't tell you much that you couldn't read in the "Cottongley Fairies" Wikipedia article. Maybe would have made a better picture book.
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A great hoax story to read before the wee folk come searching for Leprechauns to make their fairy shoes. I loved it--the same thing could NEVER happen in today's sceptical world.
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Immensely readable story, accompanied by intriguing and beautiful photographs of two young girls who were tired of being teased for believing in fairies.
Felt like a magazine story stretched out into a book.
Jul 01, 2012
Shanshad Whelan
marked it as to-read
Sep 08, 2012
Ellie
marked it as to-read
Oct 04, 2012
Claire
added it
