Rosy and her dad create a beautiful dollhouse together. They have a loving and warm relationship. But one day, Dad is taken to the hospital and, for the first Saturday ever, Rosy and her father don’t share hot chocolate and French toast for breakfast. When Rosy goes to play with her dollhouse, she discovers an injured fairy named Thistle. The bulk of the story consists of Rosy helping the messy, mischievous fairy, named Thistle, to recover. When Dad returns from the hospital, Thistle is gone. Together, father and daughter clean and repair the dollhouse. Dad leaves out “a tiny piece of cake for Thistle, just in case….”

The possibility of losing a parent is probably the most frightening concept a child encounters. Rosy copes with this terrifying thought by fantasizing a relationship with the fairy and acting out her frustration on the little dollhouse. Young children will believe that the fairy was real, that this was Rosy’s way of using her imagination to cope. Thistle is an expression of her pain.

This story would be a gentle way to open discussion with a child whose parent has been hospitalized. It lends itself well to conversation about changes in behavior. I would not suggest that the adult explain that Thistle wasn’t real and Rosy actually made the mess. You might want to let the story work its own magic. The Dollhouse Fairy is a story for adults as much as children. The father provides a beautiful example of how adults need to accept, without judgment, the way children cope with grief and fear.

Jane Ray’s illustrations, once again, are detailed and fascinating. Children will be intrigued by all the tiny items in the dollhouse. The love between parent and child and family is apparent in the body language and expression of the characters. I especially like that the family is interracial and intergenerational.

Well recommended. ( )

Celebrated English children's author/artist Jane Ray, so well-known for her fairy-tale retellings - her lovely illustrations can be seen in such titles as The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Hansel and Gretel - here turns to an original fairy story, spinning the tale of a young girl who discovers that a tiny fairy has taken up residence in her dollhouse. Rosy, whose close and loving relationship with her father involves lots of time caring for and playing with the dollhouse, is at something of a loss when he is taken away to the hospital in the middle of the night. Assured by her grandmother and mother that her Dad will be well soon, she is still unnerved, until Thistle - a diminutive fairy with a strong sense of fun, but very messy habits - appears out of the blue in her dollhouse and keeps her occupied.

With a story that works on a number of levels, and can be read in a variety of ways - as the tale of a young girl coping with her father's illness, as a magical adventure that combines both dollhouses and fairies, as an exploration of the borders between fantasy and (possible) make-believe - and gorgeous artwork that is both beautiful and expressive, The Dollhouse Fairy is a lovely picture-book. I am so glad that one of the members of the Children's Books group I co-moderate recommended it - thank you, Jenny! - as I enjoyed it immensely. I appreciated the fact that it is the father-daughter relationship that is central here, as I feel that paternal involvement in child-rearing, although more visible than it has been in the past, is still under-represented in the world of children's books. I also appreciate the fact that Rosy appears to be a bi-racial child - Jane Ray also features a possible bi-racial romance, in her delightful version of The Twelve Days of Christmas - but that this is just accepted as a part of the visual story, rather than being a cause for comment in the text.

All in all, The Dollhouse Fairy is a wonderful book - entertaining, moving, a pleasure to peruse - one that I would recommend to young doll and fairy lovers, to children whose parents are ill, and to fans of Jane Ray. ( )

When have we last seen a really strong fairy book for young children? Or a dollhouse book for that matter? This is a delightful combination of both, sure to please any lover of the miniature.

Rosy and her father have lovingly built and furnished a dollhouse - working on it together is Rosy's most favorite pastime. But then her father gets sick and Rosy can't help but worry...until she finds a remarkable inhabitant in her dollhouse. Thistle is a garden fairy who has hurt her wing and decided to move in for a few days. Rosy is excited and delighted, even though Thistle doesn't quite fit her idea of a fairy. She prefers potato chips to rose petals, spills fairy dust everywhere, and is messy, noisy, and mischievous. But Rosy loves her anyways and Thistle's presence takes her mind off her father's illness and absence. When he returns, Thistle is gone, leaving only her messiness behind.

Verdict: Delicate, intricate illustrations give this story warmth and fascination. It's a lovely story for fans of fairies, dollhouses and miniatures, or for a child dealing with a parent's illness. Highly recommended.