How Two Girls Convinced the World That Fairies Are Real
January 29, 2018
Nobleman (Boys of Steel) resurrects the story of an early 20th-century hoax that pulled the wool over the eyes of many Britons, including Arthur Conan Doyle. Cousins Frances Griffiths and Elise Wright copied elaborate drawings of female dancers in flowing garb from a book, then photographed themselves outdoors with these “sprites.” After Doyle published the photos, alongside his article about fairies, in a popular magazine, “everyone was aflutter.... Some readers saw it as a historic discovery, others thought the photos were fake.” Silent on the subject for decades, the two women later confessed their deception, albeit leaving one mysterious photo up for debate. An inviting layout combines Wheeler’s delicately styled ink-and-watercolor illustrations with archival images of the girls’ photographs and an excerpt from Doyle’s article. The willowy pranksters, a pale woodland palette, and butterfly-dotted skies match the English fairy-tale setting. This recounting of a fanciful, enchanting fraud will leave younger children guessing until the end, and many more readers will embrace the suspension of disbelief, a phenomenon Frances ascribed to the British believers of that day: “They wanted to be taken in.” Ages 4–7. Illustrator’s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary.
February 1, 2018
Gr 2-4-In 1917, two English cousins named Elsie and Francis claimed to have seen fairies in the woods near their home. When their parents refused to believe them, they took their father's brand-new camera to photograph the fae. For the next several decades, this "proof" sparked intrigue and debate about whether fairies were real, or if the girls had pulled off an ingenious deception. Nobleman's text is a rich overview of this bizarre historical controversy; he deftly navigates topics like childhood in the early 20th century, the media and the influence of celebrity culture, and the history of photography, without ever weighing down the central narrative. Wheeler's illustrations are colorful and evocative and effectively propel the action of the story forward through the decades it covers. They also combine seamlessly with the actual photographs, which are included in the text, enabling readers to examine the images for themselves. VERDICT A strong nonfiction choice that manages to present the actual events and illustrate more broadly the 20th century.-Maryanne Olson, Queens Borough Public Library, NY
Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 1, 2018
Long before there was Photoshop, in the days when photography was an infant technology, a teenager produced photographs that convinced the world fairies are real. When 9-year-old Frances Griffiths told her disbelieving parents she saw fairies by the waterfall behind their country house in England, Frances' 16-year-old cousin, Elsie Wright, wanted to prove Frances' story. She painted paper fairies and photographed them. Then she took photos showing the girls interacting with the dainty winged creatures in the valley behind Elsie's house. The girls never meant to fool the world, but the photographs fell into the hands of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Like Frances, Conan Doyle believed in fairies, and in 1920 he published the photographs in the widely read Strand magazine and wrote that he believed they were conclusive proof of the existence of fairies. After experts declared the pictures genuine and Conan Doyle's article appeared, an innocent prank turned into a hoax that lasted until Frances and Elsie finally revealed their secret over 60 years later. Nobleman introduces readers to this remarkable story in a compact, engaging narrative that's respectful to its young audience. Complementing Wheeler's delicate, detailed illustrations of the all-white human cast and its middle-class English milieu are reproductions of the famed photographs.A fascinating introduction to one of the greatest hoaxes of all time, deftly pitched to elementary-age children. (author's note, not seen) (Informational picture book. 4-8)
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April 1, 2018
Grades K-3 In early twentieth-century England, cousins Elsie and Frances stoked nationwide belief in the impossible: fairies. With a bubbling beck in the backyard of their Cottingley, England, estate, the girls spent the summer of 1917 exploring. And though Elsie and Frances often returned home with dreamy accounts of their fay companions, Elsie's father remained unconvinced. Then the girls snagged one irrefutable photo?and another. In the first and best-known snapshot, teensy sprites prance before an unfazed, flower-crown-adorned Frances. Soon, word of the girls' photographs caught the attention of supernatural specialist Edward Gardner, Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle, and England's popular Strand Magazine. But just how did Elsie and Frances do it? No spoilers here. While Nobleman's (The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra, 2017) chronological narrative, a seamless blend of both frolics and facts, fuels suspense, Wheeler's ethereal watercolor-and-ink illustrations expertly fold the girls' famous photos and original Strand articles into a world of lush countrysides and unstoppable whimsy. Part accidental trickster tale, part unforgettable fairy tale, all true, this will have kids reaching for cameras of their own in no time.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2018
In 1917 Cottingley, England, young cousins Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths produced what they claimed were photographs of real fairies. Arthur Conan Doyle featured them in �cf2]The Strand�cf1], giving the girls more attention than they'd probably bargained for. With a crisp and engaging style, Nobleman relates this fascinating story. Incorporating the original photographs, Wheeler's lively mixed-media illustrations have an Edwardian sensibility and a sepia-dominated palette. Websites. Bib.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
March 1, 2018
Humans have throughout history wished for fairies to exist; this desire was exploited by two young cousins named Elsie and Frances Griffiths in 1917 Cottingley, England, when, as a prank, they produced what they claimed were photographs of real fairies. Arthur Conan Doyle, hearing of the images, featured them in The Strand Magazine, giving the girls far more publicity and attention than they had probably bargained for. With a crisp and engaging style, Nobleman relates this fascinating story, providing ample context for readers by presenting information about the attitudes and conditions of early-twentieth-century England. Young readers are bound to be intrigued by how Elsie and Frances were able to be so convincing?not only as children, but for most of their lives?insisting that the photos were of real creatures. Wheeler, using an Edwardian sensibility and a sepia-dominated palette, has created lively mixed-media illustrations that stay firmly in the actual world. In addition to the original photographs, scattered throughout are quotes from letters and interviews, excerpts from Conan Doyle's Strand article, and other primary sources. Nobleman, in his author's note, provides a list of sources and connects the Cottingley Fairies story to today?warning readers to be cautious when depending too casually on the internet for information. Older readers wanting even more should seek out Mary Losure's The Fairy Ring (rev. 3/12). monica edinger
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)