Zoë attends her first day of Fairy School in this picture-book debut from English author/artist Jane Andrews, who would go on to produce nine more titles devoted to the little fairy's adventures. Unsure of herself at first, especially when she sees the effortless grace of her teacher's wand waving, Zoë is inspired by a butterfly's flight, eventually mastering this new skill and winning high praise...

Originally published in London in 1999, Zoë at Fairy School is not a book that is widely available or known here in the states, and is one I might never have discovered, if I hadn't stumbled upon the fourth title in the series, Zoë and the Witches' Spell, in my perennial hunt for new (or new to me) picture-books with witchy content. In any case, I undertook to read this series largely for the sake of that one witchy title, entering into this first book with no fixed ideas or expectations, beyond the notion that it looked sweet. On the whole, I found it rather slight, from a storytelling perspective—other than Zoë's easily resolved angst around her wand waving skills, the only other incident of note is her dealings with a pesky elf bully—and the artwork, while colorful and cute, didn't strike a particularly strong chord with me. That being said, I didn't dislike it, and I do intend to carry on with the series. I would recommend this one primarily to young picture book readers who enjoy fairy stories (i.e., stories about fairies, rather than fairy-tales), or to those seeking lighthearted "first day of school" stories. ( )

The story was only okay. Zoe goes to school and learns to wave her wand ... not much really happens. I guess the lesson in the book is to keep trying till you get it right, but then she turns the mean little elf that picks on her into a toad at the end. Turning the bully into a toad is wishful thinking I guess... The art is whimsical and quaint, but I really didn't enjoy the tale that much. ( )