Fairies in the Garden

Lola's Adventure

Children - Adventure
Kindle Edition
Reviewed on 01/04/2023
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Fairies in the Garden, written by Ennes Higgins and illustrated by Dimi D. Lupa is a mid-grade children's picture book and part of Lola's Adventure series. The book begins with an introduction to children Lola, Liam, Toby, and Sara as they loll about at Nana's house on a Sunday afternoon. Nana thinks the kids have had enough time on their electronics and sends them outdoors to do some garden work. While out plucking beans, Toby notices his toy fairy is missing and, in a twist of fate and a holding of the nose, he shrinks down smaller than a bean he was just plucking. The rest of the kids join him, including Lola, only to find a real fairy in need of their help.

Fairies in the Garden by Ennes Higgins is an engaging read that shares a handful of good messages in a story of good enough length to appeal to readers in the early double-digits but not so cumbersome that it turned off a six-year-old. The children all pull together to figure out how to help the fairy, who is not just any fairy, but the Tooth Fairy training for the job. Toby's loose tooth is the obvious choice but it's at that awkward stage where it's ready to come out but clinging for the last bit of life. Lola has a fantastic, completely outside-the-box idea that was unexpected to us readers and clever enough to elicit a gasp of delight from a real live little girl. The artwork by Dimi D. Lupa is beautifully abstract, boogers and all, with full-color spreads in a gorgeous palette of muted jewel tones. This was the bedtime winner tonight and even though I can only give it five stars, it did receive six enthusiastic thumbs up.

Pikasho Deka

Fairies in the Garden is yet another delightful children's adventure tale from Lola's Adventures series by Ennes Higgins. Eight-year-old Lola is busy studying climate change on her tablet when Nana asks Lola and her siblings, Liam, Sara, and Toby, to go outside and bring some runner beans for dinner. Wanting to complete the task as soon as possible, Lola starts picking off beans when her youngest brother Toby holds his nose, closes his eyes, and shrinks himself to search for his fairy toy that got lost in the garden. One by one, the rest of the siblings shrink themselves and meet Tom, a brand new tooth fairy who has to find a tooth by nightfall, failing which he will be demoted to the garden fairy. Join Lola and her siblings as they come up with ingenious ways to help Tom.

Fairies in the Garden is a fun-filled fantasy adventure for kids with a reminder of the importance of keeping occupied with outdoor activities and minimizing our dependence on android devices. Ennes Higgins has a way of infusing relevant underlying messages into the series' narrative, and this book is no different. Lola is a brilliant child with a curious mind. Yet she often feels somewhat different from her siblings, who know how to have fun. In this book, she begins to see the value of lateral thinking and how it can provide creative solutions to difficult problems. Overall, an absorbing fantasy adventure for kids, with Dimi di Lupa's illustrations being the icing on the cake.

Philip Van Heusen

Four siblings, Lola, Liam, Sara, and Toby, are staying at Nana’s house. As they are relaxing and enjoying a Sunday afternoon, Nana sends them to the garden to gather beans. Pulling themselves away from their various pursuits, they go to the garden where the adventure begins. In Fairies in the Garden: Lola’s Adventure by Ennes Higgins, the reader follows the amazing adventure the children share. How do Toby’s loose tooth, the lost “fairy boy,” and the ability to shrink all interact to give the reader a glimpse of creativity and what might be? Enter this world and meet Tom, the apprentice tooth fairy, and his mentor Mya. The children use “lateral thinking” to solve Tom’s problem creatively rather than through obvious means. This is a fun book to read. Enjoy the characters’ interactions as they work together to help Tom graduate into a fully-fledged Tooth Fairy.

Some books are just fun to read, and Fairies in the Garden: Lola’s Adventure by Ennes Higgins is just that—fun to read. Lola has reached the age where make-believe is difficult. All children need to be encouraged to never outgrow creativity because many problems can be solved through creative means. Ennes recognizes this and has the kids use creative means to help a student fairy graduate Tooth Fairy School. It is also important for children to spend time outside, be active, and breathe fresh air. Too many children spend too much time with their electronic devices instead of interacting with the real world. However, just because children interact with the real world does not mean they can’t use their imaginations. This book is enhanced with illustrations by Dimitris Angelakis.