Author: Mary Losure
Publication: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Candlewick
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Genre: Non-Fiction
Audience: 10 and up
Goodreads Summery
Frances was nine when she first saw the fairies. They were tiny men, dressed all in green. Nobody but Frances saw them, so her cousin Elsie painted paper fairies and took photographs of them "dancing" around Frances to make the grown-ups stop teasing. The girls promised each other they would never, ever tell that the photos weren't real. But how were Frances and Elsie supposed to know that their photographs would fall into the hands of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? And who would have dreamed that the man who created the famous detective Sherlock Holmes believed ardently in fairies and wanted very much to see one? Mary Losure presents this enthralling true story as a fanciful narrative featuring the original Cottingley fairy photos and previously unpublished drawings and images from the family's archives. A delight for everyone with a fondness for fairies, and for anyone who has ever started something that spun out of control.
My Thoughts:The Fairy Ring: Elsie and Frances Fool the World by Mary Losure is the incredible true story of two girls and their encounters with fairies. The story is set in rural England during WWI. Elsie and Frances set out to prove to their family fairies are real. With painted cutouts and a couple of photos their Fairy pictures take the country by storm. Prominent people take an interest in the pictures and request more. Will Elsie and Frances tell the truth or make more “Fairy” pictures? I absolutely loved this story. I had never heard about Frances or Elsie but I had seen one of the pictures before. It was a pleasure to view all of the photos. I had never thought about the story behind the pictures. It was a joy for me to experience how the pictures come to be through the girls own words and corresponding with the key players in getting the photos published. I like both Elsie and Frances and connected well with them. I feel that Frances truly saw fairies while Elsie was just going along. If it was left to Frances I don't think there would have ever been more than one fairy picture. I do respect that the girls were well into adulthood before they disclosed the true nature of the pictures.
I had a really nice fabric bound book about the Cottingley fairies. There was a DVD and the images and an artist had drawn other fairies in the book. It was like a pressed flower book but with obscene fairies (some had their middle finger up and some were naked). It was a crazy book. I think I would like to read this one. I have always loved fairies. I have a book collection of Nene Thomas and Amy Brown's artwork.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of this before, but knew very little about it. It is rather incredible. I must read.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! Ill have to read this!
ReplyDeleteits interesting and i do believe its ture to
ReplyDeleteI love fairy tales since i knew how to read. i know this book is amazing, too.. and so thankful for the review. would really love to have this one. I hope you'll make more reviews with books like this. thank you, again! more power!
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