Stella, Fairy of the Forest

Linda Ludke is a librarian at the London Public Library.

In their third adventure, Stella and her little brother Sam explore
streams, meadow, and forests in search of fairies. Sam is a more
reluctant adventurer than his fearless red-haired sister. Along the way,
Stella assures him that “bears sleep during the day,” sheep are
“as dangerous as woolly blankets,” and bees won’t sting “if you
move ver-r-r-y slowly.”

As the inquisitive sibling duo try to make sense of their world, Sam
proves that he “knows a lot of things too” and offers some astute
observations of his own. Sam reasons that if yellow butterflies eat
butter, then “blue butterflies eat pieces of sky.” When examining
the big old trees in the forest, Sam compares the bark to the wrinkles
on his grandmother’s face. “Grandma’s bark is much softer.”

Award-winning author–illustrator Marie-Louise Gay has superbly
captured the sense of childhood wonder and imagination. Things are not
always as they seem: a rock may turn out to be a turtle, clouds that
land in a field are really sheep. Gay’s trademark watercolor
illustrations provide a fresh perspective and are brimming with witty
details. Highly recommended.