Child of Faerie, Child of Earth

A girl and a faerie boy discover each other on Hallow's Eve and become fast friends. He takes her to his faerie hall below and tries to convince her to stay; she then takes him to spend a day in the world of men, on a farm, and presses him to stay instead. Yet both miss their true homes, and at last come to an agreement that they will remain friends and visit each other faithfully, but live in the worlds that they each call home.

A simple picture book tale that is reminiscent of Town Mouse, Country Mouse - with a light touch of the supernatural - this is yet another story that Yolen weaves with her lyrical language. The poem is as beautiful as the story of two friends torn between different worlds. The accompanying illustrations are show more detailed and have an ethereal quality suited to the subject matter. The elven world is filled with wistful blues and silvers, while the man's world is soaked in warm earth colors.

When I was young, I used to dream of finding some secret passage to a faerie world, and this book played upon those old buried desires. Yet it has a comical counterpoint in the practical, when the girl makes the faerie spend a day in our world, milking cows and cleaning sheds. The story is a balance between play and work, night and day, magic and reality ... a contrast of opposites that come together as friends in the end. show less

This book was beautifully written. The author was very precise with her words, and they flowed nicely. There was a defined speed for the piece to be read at, which made it whimsical.

The illustrations were a nice edition. They were vibrant, but not too busy.

I would recommend this book to 4th graders and up. Some of the word choices were too advanced for lower grades. The fluid language swept me away to the point where I had to read the book three times before I could understand what was going on with each of the characters, but when I did, I found it very charming.

Basically, a girl runs into a fairy in the woods. He takes her to his realm, and they spend the night exploring it. The next day, she takes him to her village and they farm show more together. Their worlds are very different, and, in the end, they must return to their own. The good news is that they get to visit each other every once in a while.

I absolutely loved the illustration of them together when they are old and grey. It was a nice wrap up for the story. show less

A lifelong friendship between a human and a faerie: they envied each other's worlds but had enough self-awareness to know they didn't want to abandon their own for the other. Full page illustrations filled with seasonal colors amplified the warmth of the story.

Recommended as a story to show kids that people from different worlds can come together, share their culture, and build lasting friendships/ relationships without having to sacrifice their homes or who they are in the process.

4.5 stars

This is a beautifully illustrated, adorable tale told in verse. It tells of a human girl and fairy boy who meet and visit each others' worlds. Realizing they each belong among their own kind, they resolve nonetheless to maintain their friendship and interaction by exchanging gifts and meeting periodically. Their relationship begins in childhood and extends into their old age. Enjoy!

This was a good book that was the story of a friendship between a fairie and an earth girl. They show each other the world they live in and they each ask the other to stay in their world which of course in the end each declines. They find a way to remain friends throughout their life which is the real story here - a lifelong friendship. Also good book to illustrate to children that asult men and women can be friends without getting married because at least mine seem to have difficulty with that concept.

I just Love the lyrical beautiful sweetness of this book. Perfect for fall bedtime.

Beautiful poetic text, and magical illustrations. Is friendship possible for people from two different worlds? Read and see. . .