The Very Fairy Princess Follows Her Heart — Perfect Picture Book Friday

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317984_10151396257530399_1770626965_nTitle: The Very Fairy Princess Follows Her Heart

Authors: Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton

Illustrator: Christine Davenier

Publisher: New York: Little, Brown, 2013

Genre: Picture book, fiction

Audience Age: 3 to 8 years

Themes/topics: Valentine’s Day, making valentines, creativity, coping when something goes wrong, showing appreciation for people, celebrating individuality.

Opening Sentences: Hi! It’s me, Gerry, the very fairy princess. Not everyone believes that I’m a fairy princess, but the sparkle I feel inside tells me that it’s TRUE. One of my FAVORITE days is coming up — Valentine’s Day! Fairy princesses are at their sparkly best making people smile, and what better way to do that than with a FABULOUS homemade card?

Synopsis: It’s nearly time for the pinkest, sparkliest holiday of the year, Valentine’s Day! Gerry, the very fairy princess, makes valentines for everyone in her classroom. She uses more glitter, sparkly jewels, feathers and other creative things than anyone can imagine, making a valentine that is perfect for each person – even for Connor, who “likes bugs and pulls my hair in class.” Putting all the cards in a folder to keep them safe turns out to be a bad plan, though. When Gerry gets to school and opens the folder, she has Daddy’s work papers instead! What will she do? (Fairy princesses are very resourceful, but this is a real calamity!)

Activities/Resources: Making handmade valentines is the perfect activity to go with this book, especially if they are custom-designed to celebrate each friend’s “inner sparkle.” The more glitter and embellishments, the better!

An activity I have suggested to go with other books in this series, and it would work very well with this one as well, is to play an “I appreciate you because…” game, in which each child tells the others something special about each of them.

Princesses are always worth celebrating, especially on Valentine’s Day, and there is an impressive list of real-life princesses on the Very Fairy Princess website.

Besides being Valentine’s Day, February 14th is also International Book Giving Day. The website of this book-giving outreach has suggestions for adding books to a Valentine’s Day celebration. Books (including The Very Fairy Princess Follows Her Heart) are great gifts for Valentine’s Day, especially when they encourage kids to celebrate their own individuality.

For an interview with Geraldine the Very Fairy Princess herself, read this post on my blog!

Availability: Readily available in hardcover.

Every Friday, bloggers join together to share picture book reviews and resources, thanks to author Susanna Leonard Hill’s brainchild, “Perfect Picture Book Fridays.” Susanna then adds the books (and links to the reviews) to a comprehensive listing by subject on her blog. Find the entire listing at her “Perfect Picture Books.”

 

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32 thoughts on “The Very Fairy Princess Follows Her Heart — Perfect Picture Book Friday”

  1. Patricia Tilton

    I believe that this book if my favorite so far in the series. Pardon the pun, but it really shows Gerry’s heart and her passion for giving to others. I don’t want to give away the ending, but this one really touched me. We can tell Gerry is maturing. Brilliant story with a more than satisfying ending! Hope it spends a few weeks on the NYT bestseller’s list.

    1. Beth

      They certainly have a knack for picture books! (I just wish they’d write a few more middle grade novels — I love their mg novels, too!)

  4. Joanna

    I love seeing a picture book series and growth of a character. Gerry is a very real, lovable protagonist, and, like Pat, this one is very satisfying.

  6. Susanna Leonard Hill

    Sounds like another winner from Julie and Emma, Beth! I’m pretty interested to find out how Gerry solves her problem! And I’m all for sparkle 🙂 YOur activity brought back the by-gone days of making Valentines cards with my kids… boy does glitter get everywhere and boy is it hard to clean up… but so much fun! 🙂

    1. Beth

      I’m rather grateful that my valentine-making days pre-dated glitter! Much less messy with just construction paper, crayons and glue, if not nearly as SPARKLY! You must read this — the way Gerry solves her problem is wonderful (fairy princesses are very clever).

    1. Beth

      I’m sure she would, too, Carrie. It’s only been out since the beginning of January, which is likely why you haven’t seen it yet.

  15. Sandi Purdell-Lewis

    I really like the link to the real life princesses – beautiful women who are kind, compassionate, work hard and often change the world. Something some of our princess-infatuated girls could look to.

  17. Pingback: Perfect Picture Book Friday Valentine’s Day Pick(s)! « This Kid Reviews Books

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