Customer Reviews

Child of Faerie, Child of Earth

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nearing age five my son decided to express his growing passion for all things Fairy and I searched high and low for gifts to nurture his appreciation of peace and magic. Near the dawn of my quest I discovered this book and immediately ordered it because other reviews were inspiring and the cover art showed a boy fairy (a rare find!). My son loved the book and wanted to share it with all his friends and family. Nearing age six, he still enjoys the book and fondly tells others of the day his mom came in to teach a lesson with it to his kindergarten class. You can recreate the easy lesson with your own children. Simply take two sheets of construction paper and fold them in half, then staple. Give it a purple cover (Child of Fairy) and a green back (Child of Earth). Let the children decorate each with pictures of earth children (photos or drawings of themselves and friends) and fairy children (stickers or drawings of imagined fairy children...glitter is essential!). Next have them devote a couple of pages to creating environments for the children (we used leaves, moss, and twigs glued on for earth kids and bright feathers, glitter, and sequins for fairy kids). Finally devote the two inner-most pages to others who are different from themselves. We cut out pictures in magazines of people of different ages,races, and genders as well as places near and far from "home." This serves as an excellent tool to discuss respecting differences with small children. Enjoy!

This is one of my all-time favorites. As the title suggests, it is a true faerie tale. In this case a human-child and faerie-child chance to meet and each tries to persuade the other to cross the divide, each making an experimental sojourn. Very well illustrated by one of our favorite illustrators--Jane Dyer--and written in a very nice lyric verse. Here's where the girl declines the offer of the Prince.

She looked around the faerie hall
Beneath the hollow hill.
And all the glamour round her spun
To bend her to his will.
But with a sigh, she shook her head.
"That's not by bread
And drink," she said.
"I cannot on your food be fed
And still my needs fulfill."

There are 28 pages, 14 sets of facing pages with one of these lyrics on the left with a small picture above. Opposite is a full-page illustration, many of which are among the very best quality in Children's Literature I've seen.

Sadly, the hardback is no longer in print, but good used copies are usually available. There's no new-age nonsense in this book, just good old-fashioned mythopoetics.

Where do children learn the love of reading ? By being read to of course, Child of faerie, Child of earth is perfect to read aloud. The illustrations are gorgeous and the rhymes that accompany the pictures are sweet and lyrical. The old story is here, the meeting of mortal and faerie - this is literature for young children at its best. And it's a delight to read this to children ! Highly recommended

I discovered this book in a class about writing children's books. While I have read many books by Jane Yolen, I can honestly say this is one of my favorite Yolen books with a poem as text. The poetry is intricate yet appears simple. This is a story that must be read aloud, simply to delight in the rhythm and the story. The illustrations are stunning, accentuating an already wonderful story. I strongly recommend this book for children, particularly in a read aloud setting. I also recommend this book for adults who love all things faerie or who appreciate a sweet tale that almost sings.

This book is both a lyrical and visual treasure. I bought this as a Christmas present for a niece and couldn't part with it! I even bought a copy just so I could mat and frame some of the incredibly magical pictures. This is my favorite children's book`of all time.

This book is absolutely beautiful! The illustrations are gorgeous and the poetical rhythm of the rhymes that accompany the pictures are nothing short of lyrical. My favorite bit though, is the ending, where the author urges her young readers to " Be brave, be bold, be unafraid..." It takes traditional children's rhymes to a new level, reminiscent of old world poetry, and yet it is lively, easy to understand and fun to read out loud. It is simply literature for young children at its best!

My two year old son and I loved this book! It is a beautiful story with amazing illustrations. I would highly recommend it for every child ( and adult!)

This book has come to mean so much to our family...the simple story of the faerie boy and human girl teaches us about strength of character and appreciating differences, true. But as a Wiccan mother, this story has a special meaning for my children about being open to magical adventures and yet staying grounded in their own identity. The illustrations are breathtaking, and the poetry practically sings right off the pages. This book should be on every child's shelf.

This is a truly magickal story for youngsters...and adults!!

At last she found a fresh hen's egg,
A gift from humankind
So he'd remember earth and toil
When he'd left both behind.
Then in return, he touched the shell,
And with a spell
Of fare-thee-well
Extracted from that fragile shell
A feather to remind.
"I give you this that comes from that,"
The faerie child replied
"That egg and feather both shall serve
As token and as guide.
That we may both go arm in arm
And fear no harm,
Nor take alarm
When visiting in hall or farm
(Or other lands beside)."

I found this book and was delighted by the imagery as well as the lyrical verse. As an artist, I appreciate the wonderful illustrations. My son has even taken a magnifying glass to look at them closer and admire the work. The words roll off the tongue with a wonderful cadence. My children love the sounds as much as the pictures. Its a wonderful story of differences between two children and how they can each appreciate the other's world (Culture) and become friends. It teaches an excellent message of tollerance and appreciation for others as well.