The Fairy Ring, or, Elsie and Frances Fool the World

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An interesting book for adults, too submitted by Ilyjtwya on June 26, 2012, 2:07am This book begins by following 9 year old Frances as she relocates to England from South Africa during WW1. She sits near the water in a rural town, and sees fairies on a regular basis. When she tells adults they tease her about it, so she and her artistic 15 year old cousin Elsie decide to "prove" that the fairies are real by taking a photo of them. Elsie draws and colors pictures of a fairy and a goblin and they take pictures of them. A few years later, the photos are brought up to a group which was dedicated to studying and proving the existence of fairies. Photography experts find no fraud in the photos, and many people believe, for many years, that the photos are real. One of those who believe in the photos is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes books, and he seems to have been greatly responsible for spreading the photos in the media.

This book was written for younger readers, but is well supported with letters and news excerpts about what happened, along with parts of Elsie's autobiography. These parts contain the most challenging vocabulary, so young readers may need help with some words, such as evidently and conversion. My only criticism is that all the illustrations are in black and white. While it is understandable for the photographs, which were taken as black and white, it is disappointing for the paintings that are described as watercolors. 

Beautiful Little Book submitted by sdunav on July 7, 2012, 10:36am This is a really interesting non-fiction account of two young girls in Yorkshire in the early 1900's who faked a couple of pictures of fairies and saw their game spiral out of control when it came to the attention of some gullible adults in the theosophical movement. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle publicized the photos in "The Strand" in 1920, and wrote a book about "the Cottingley Fairies", and the photographs became a media sensation.

I'm not sure what age group this book is aimed at - it's a little advanced for middle-grade kids, and rather simply written for YA or adults. In any case, it is a beautiful little book, well-written, meticulously researched, and wonderfully produced, artistically speaking. It just *feels* good in your hands. Don't read the e-book version!