Ashley Spires

This delightful picture book introduces children to the concepts of asking questions and attempting to find the answers themselves based on scientific evidence and experimentation. It does so in a fun way through Esther, a fairy who does not believe in magic as all of the other fairies do, and is able to save a dying tree in the forest. Although she does not convince most of the fairies, a few want her to teach them about science as well. The book includes a simple experiment for children to show more try on their own. A wonderful book for budding scientists and also a lesson in not following the herd and believing in yourself and your ideas, using lots of humour. show less

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Kids Can Press, for this DRC in exchange for a fair and honest review. The views and opinions expressed below are my own.)

Ashley Spires brings her trademark quirky style of storytelling and illustration to this story about a sweet, determined little character who wants to fulfill his dream in his own way, even when others don't believe that he belongs. Saul is an adorable, fully-formed character, one who truly likes himself and isn't ashamed of his show more interests. Spires shows his strong love of the ocean from his childhood to his rejected attempts to join the navy (height discrimination!) to his entry into pirate school and eventual participation in a ship's crew. Saul's persistence in the face of his gruff, less-than-enthused (and quite rude) crew mates comes full circle in their acceptance of this special crew member. I liked the little illustration details in the background and the character design.

Saul's character is the driving force behind the overall story. He's naturally gentle, and I love how this isn't presented as a negative thing. He doesn't turn into a bully-boy pirate and start telling his crew mates off; not because he's scared of them, or as a type of learned deference, but because his simply doesn't have it in him. He may not be pushy but he is quietly assertive in his commitment to adding his own touch to the rough pirate ship, particularly when he realizes early on that his efforts to be just like the others simply are not going to work. It's notable that Saul DID pass his pirate school tests with high marks, His method of completing those pirate duties is just different, which is where the conflict comes about. I liked the insistence throughout the book that soft touches are often needed in rough situations, and that it takes all types to make a group run well, something that is increasingly important for children to understand in modern times.

I have mixed feelings about the path to the book's conclusion and moral lesson. The pirates do immediately rescue Saul once they realize how much the ship deteriorated without his presence; seeing them adopt and actually like some of Saul's habits and improvements to the overall ship's operations is satisfying. However, the fact is that we don't know how long he was actually left drifting at sea, which is extremely dangerous. What if they decided that they liked things back to how they were and didn't turn back around for him? And while I know that his aforementioned gentleness and refusal to hold grudges is just a natural part of his character, the pirates' are still bullies. The captain's apology with the explanation that they were "just being pirates" still doesn't sit too well with me, because it inadvertently absolves them of their behavior. And it seems that they only ask Saul back because they realize that they and the physical ship are suffering, not completely because they miss Saul himself. This is a good opportunity to stress to children that everyone has value just because they are, even if they don't do something directly for others. show less

Fluffy Strikes Back (A P.U.R.S.T. Adventure) - Spires, Ashley I'm so excited to read this! Thank you, Kids Can Press.And also, thanks from my high school freshmore, who adores Spires' cats as much as I do.Fluffy Vandermere looks like the cat a Bond villain would be holding. But Fluffy isn't a pet: he's the head of a secret agency protecting earth from aliens. Thankfully, he hasn't lost his old skills in his time as an administrator, and he still has what it takes to save his headquarters show more from an invasion.I'm giggling the whole time I'm typing this, because it is such an amusing parody of the genre, I can totally imagine Sean Connery providing the voice saying "Meow". You know what I've discovered? I don't mind potty humor when it's about cats: sandbox jokes are just fine. It's wonderfully goofy and the cats take themselves very seriously, and if Spires could write a million stories, I'd try to read every single one.
 
copy from publisher for review show less

If there's a child in your world who resists magic and fantasy and instead embraces logic and reason, FAIRY SCIENCE might be the right book for that child! Esther is a fairy who finds "magic" an insufficient explanation for the happenings in her world; instead, she uses the scientific method to create experiments and controls, record her findings, and make new hypotheses.

I loved this book! It would have resonated with the young person I once was — I wish it had existed then, and I'm show more grateful that Ashley Spires and her publisher have made it exist now.

The illustrations are delightful, too. The fairies are soft, slightly goofy, and diverse — and Esther is a joy to behold with her test tubes, microscope, and notebooks.

Anyone building a STEM library or seeking to encourage pre-readers to understand and enjoy scientific thinking needs FAIRY SCIENCE in their collection. It's great! show less