Wilderness Fairies: Daisy’s Secret by Jodie Wells-Slowgrove and Kerry Millard – Book Review

By guest reviewer Liz Bray

I’ve worked with books for children of all ages and both genders for pretty much my whole professional life, but in my personal life the kids closest to me are boys, so I’ve been spared bedtime read-alouds with fairy-obsessed girls.

If you have a fairy-mad little girl in your life and are a little bit ‘over’ the slightly, erm, predictable plots and one-dimensional characters in some series, then ‘The Wilderness Fairies’ might be for you. The series has been widely welcomed as more parent-friendly than others because there is more depth to the characters, more charm in the illustrations and they have a generally sweet-natured approach. As one reviewer on goodreads put it, ‘Seriously if you have a kid who is into fairies get them into these books they won't make you want to stab yourself in the face.’

Daisy’s Secret is the fourth of four books in ‘The Wilderness Fairies’ series and while it can definitely be enjoyed on its own, I can see how the character and her world and friendships would have developed over the previous books. This would be very rewarding for kids who follow the whole series.

This book is well-structured in short chapters, each of which ends with a little hint of what’s coming next—great for reading in small  ‘bites’ while keeping kids interested.

While the plot elements might not be all that original (fairy Daisy is not the first magical creature in a book to fail to follow instructions, encounter human beings, or find her ‘calling’), there is real heart to the story. Daisy is resourceful, curious and courageous with a desire to do well and help others.

The major point of difference for this series is that it’s set in a tiny magic world within the Australian bush, so in this book the young fairies ride on skinks rather than mice and a human girl explores mangroves rather than a forest. The descriptions of the plants and animals have a real charm to them without feeling ‘gimmicky’.

 There’s a map of the fairy world at the front of the book, detailed illustrations throughout, and some information about some of the Australian plants and animals at the back. There’s also an explanation of how to write and decode ‘secret’ messages like those that appear in the book. This would work better for older readers who are confident with words and spelling.

Who’ll love this: Fairy-mad girls of about 6 to 7 for read-aloud or independent reading. And their long-suffering parents!

Price: $9.99

Publisher: Penguin Books Australia