Alice has a nose for trouble, but luckily she's a fairy--aTemporary Fairy. She has a magic wand, fairy wings, and a blanket,all of which she uses to disappear, to fly, to transform her dadinto a horse, and to turn his cookies into her own! There are stilla few things Alice needs to learn to become a Permanent Fairy, likehow to float her dog on the ceiling and make her clothes putthemselves away, but she's working on it--sort of. Here's anendearing, funny story about a girl and her magical imagination,sure to delight every fairy in training!
PreS. If Shannon's David is a little devil, Alice is on the angelicside (almost). Using the same oversize format that he did in bookssuch as No, David! (1998), Shannon introduces young Alice, afairy-in-training dressed up with wings, a wand, and patent leathershoes. Similar to David, she is drawn in doll-like style (thoughher teeth aren't sharp). Alice talks directly to her audience,informing them what fairies do and how she works her magic. "Onetime my mom made cookies for my dad. So I turned them into mine,"she says, as she eyes the plate of cookies; in the next picture theplate is almost empty, and there are crumbs all over Alice's face.A few of the analogies are a stretch (this fairy's life is filledwith danger--in the form of broccoli), but kids will find most ofthe humor right at their level, in terms of both wit andimagination. The pictures are richly colored, some almosteffervescent in their playfulness. A meeting between Alice andDavid would engender even more fun. Ilene Cooper
