As I mentioned a few days ago, I recently met Phoebe Wahl at the 2026 Children’s Literature Conference here in Bellingham, Washington. She was pleasant as a person, and her presentation on her art and writing was very impressive. (I recently discussed her book The Blue House for those who are interested.) As a result, I’m working my way through all her books, and that led me to the 2018 picture book Backyard Fairies.
Despite the concept, Backyard Fairies is actually simpler and less original than The Blue House . (Lots of people have written about kids and magical little people; relatively few have written about the pain of the contemporary real estate market.) That being said, this book is lovely and does a good job of evoking the magic of kids in nature. It starts with a question: have you ever been out alone and stumbled across “A tiny, magical somebody’s home?” (With an illustration of a tree stump that may also house something/someone magical.)
Each sound and sight in the wild is wrapped in whimsy, and each is well-rendered in original art. Each helps readers embrace the magic in the world and their lives.
There’s no tension here, just a series of questions that leads readers gently from first discovery to bedtime.
