What a lovely little book filled with stories of fairies and life lessons. At the end of each chapter are lessons to go over with your child regarding the story. Things to think about and how to be a better person to yourself and to others including your environment. I can not wait to have my 2 granddaughters over to read them from this wonderful book of fairies. This is a 5 star read for certain!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Watkins Publishing Limited for this advanced readers copy.
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Fairies at Bedtime Assists Families Throughout Life

Fairies at Bedtime, by Karen Wallace and Lou Kuenzler, is a collection of tales from the fairy realm for both children and parents. The included stories are spun with the human connection to nature in mind. This connection is presented through nature spirits. The idea behind this work is not only to entertain, but also to aid a child with his or her daily concerns.

Before story-time begins, the authors give readers a special treat by including fairy historical traditions from around the world. This inclusion gives background information on some of the characters included within the stories and expounds upon her or his connections to the natural world. It also shows young readers that even fairy folk have chores to do.

The stories within this collection are well written and entertaining. Each tale introduces life lessons and ideals. An affirmation section resides after each story to aid in discussions over qualities introduced within the preceding tale. For quick reference of ideals enclosed, there is an index of values and issues included at the back of the work.

Each illustration is colorful and vivid. The beautiful graphics are reminiscent of traditional “old world” Eastern-Bloc illustrations. The images have a magical and surreal quality about them. Many of the representations are embedded in the background of pages, but the work also holds numerous striking full-page illustrations.

This work has a great deal to offer both parent and child. It is also entertaining while it aids in the teaching of life values. Overall, the work is a wonderful addition to any library. ( )

Every short begins about the same “Close your eyes and take a deep breathe. Imagine that you at a river, or a beach, or a farm, or inside on a rainy day.” I am paraphrasing because I am writing from memory. Each story has questions and affirmations to teach your child to use their imagination and to be a good kid.

I thought some of the stories were cute and others repetitive. . The stories were short and pretty simplistic. I would place it in the age group of age 2-5. I thought have discussion questions at the end was nice.

I was not a fan of making the stories so simple. I wanted more from the stories but I guess since I am not the target audience I should not complain. I just feel that even some kids will think this too simple as well.

The stories in general are not memorable, to me anyway. I remember that there were many different fairies in the stories, but I do not remember most of the stories. I don’t know if they would stick with child any better and you would want them to if you are focused on using the affirmations at the end. ( )