Midsummer Night's Faery Tale [Hardcover]

Terri Windling (Author), Wendy Froud (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0756787599 | ISBN-13: 978-0756787592 | Publication Date: January 30, 1999

It's Midsummer Night in the faery kingdom & something wonderful will happen -- or perhaps something dreadful & strange. The outcome will depend on the most unlikely of heroes, a bumbling little faery named Sneezle. Come & follow ''A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale'' into the tangled woods & discover the flickering world of the faeries . . . . With dazzling charm & a magical touch that glows on every pages, this book showcases the talents of renowned doll maker Wendy Froud & award-winning writer Terri Windling. Weaving together an enchanting faery tale with breathtaking imagery, their brilliant collaboration presents a marvelous story for all ages.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Not once upon a time, but right now, in a British forest called Old Oak Wood, faeries frolic, invisible to those humans who choose not to believe in them. In A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale, doll maker Wendy Froud (best known for creating Yoda and other creatures for Muppet master Jim Henson) and award-winning fantasy author Terri Windling collaborate to tell the story of one of these elusive fellows, a young tree-root faery named Sneezle. Each page of this delightful book is graced with an elaborately staged photo of Froud's doll creations in their natural habitats, paired with Windling's story of Sneezle's unlikely heroism. Sneezle and his diaphanous friends are adorable enough to charm a kid, and his adventures are interesting enough to hold the attention of an adult reading the book aloud to a favorite youngster.

Sneezle's adventures begin when he sets out to fetch the Midsummer crown for King Oberon. Meanwhile, the Faery Queen Titania is found asleep, victim of a powerful magic spell. The hopes of the faery kingdom ride on Sneezle's little shoulders! While on his journey, Sneezle meets up with fascinating forest characters, discovers the identity of the wicked sorceress who has enchanted the queen, and learns about courage and loyalty. He also figures out that being "the same old Sneezle" is a fine thing to be. Kids and adults will enjoy this richly illustrated, romantic fantasy. (Ages 8 and older) --Therese Littleton --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Wendy Froud became a doll maker at the age of five, and has gone on to make dolls, puppets, and sculpture for such films as The Empire Strikes Back -- she is credited as the fabricator of its beloved character Yoda -- as well as Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, "The Muppet Show." and The Muppet Movie. Her dolls and figures are highly sought after by private collectors around the world. Froud grew up in Detroit and now resides in Devon, England, on Dartmoor, with her artist husband, Brian, and their son, Toby.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 52 pages
• Publisher: Diane Pub Co (January 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756787599
• ISBN-13: 978-0756787592
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,501,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terri Windling is a writer, editor, painter, and the director of The Endicott Studio, an organization dedicated to art and literature inspired by myth, folklore, and fairy tales. Windling has published over forty books for adults, young adults, and children, winning seven World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and placing on the short list for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award. She also writes essays on myth, fairy tales, art, and magical literature which have been published in a variety of magazines and collections in the U.S. and abroad. As a painter, her work has appeared in museums and galleries across the U.S, and Europe. She is a Consulting Editor for Tor Books in New York, and sits on the advisory board of the Mythic Imagination Institute in Atlanta. For more information on the mythic arts field, please visit the Endicott Studio website: www.endicott-studio.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly enchanting!, November 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book for all lovers of folklore, fairy tales, and the magical forests of the British Isles. I bought it to read to my children, but I loved Terri Windling's poetic tale also and Wendy Froud's dolls are stunningly beautiful, so I would recommend this as a perfect gift for adults too. I have also purchased Terri Windling's brand new faery story for older children, The Raven Queen, and recommend it to all faery lovers. It's another poetic and magical faery story from the talented Miss Windling and the only thing that would have made it better is cover art by Wendy Froud. Long live the faeries!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining fantasy, November 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale (Hardcover)

It is Midsummer's Eve and all the faeries are coming to Old Oak Wood to celebrate the summer solstice. Since this is a time of powerful magic, something dreadful is as likely to occur as well as something wonderful. The fairies have to be on guard at this time. However, unbeknownst to anyone, a traitor to King Oberon and Queen Titania has emerged.

Only one individual needing a lot of luck can possibly save the realm. However, Sneezle is a youngster, being only two centuries old. He has never made it through the festivities without falling asleep. Yet he is the last hope to stop a treacherous act from succeeding.

MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S FAERY TALE is an entertaining story filled with fabulous illustrations throughout the fantasy. The story line is typical of the genre with a nice but kind of pitiable individual turning into an epic hero. However, Wendy Froud and Terri Windling make it work because Sneezle has a charm that will delight children and adults. Fans of faeries and otherworldly beings will enjoy this rich tapestry as the pictures are filled with elaborate detail, enhancing a fun plot.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MAGNIFICENT!, July 28, 2000

By 

R. Garcia "Beeyotch" (Brockport, NY) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale (Hardcover)

It's not very surprising that Wendy Froud happens to be the wife of the renowned fantasy artist, Brian Froud himself, who is quite famous for his very unique fairy and faerie creations. And Terri Windling's writing isn't too shabby here, either. So with all Mrs. Froud's very life-like arrangement of faery figures so elaborately designed and dressed and then carefully positioned within an equally believable woodland setting, Ms. Windling's fairy tale begins with the busy preparation for a great ceremonious faery festival: The Midsummer Night - as derived from one of William Shakespeare's famed plays. The hero of this tale is a very humble little Sneezle, who happens to be a sleepy-eyed wingless faery of the tree roots. He wants so much to be part of the much bristling about, yet he keeps getting underfoot or into a big mess. So the poor innocent little creature is quite crestfallen, yet he does not yet know that he would soon be playing a very crucial role in thrawting the crafty plans of an evil faery about to overtake the whole faery realm! Yet...young Sneezle just does NOT has much courage or any skill to fight at all - a very unusual kind of a fantasy protagonist. Beautifully written with a rustically poetic style and marvelously illustrated by all those well-made dolls that would truly delight any fantasy fans and serious fancier of fairies and faeries!