"THE ADVENTURES OF TULIP, BIRTHDAY WISH FAIRY follows title-character Tulip as he deals with the birthday wishes of all the nine-year-olds in North America. Reminiscent of the Disney film Prep & Landing, THE ADVENTURES OF TULIP, BIRTHDAY WISH FAIRY gives an inside look into what exactly happens to all those wishes, what Wish Fairies eat for lunch, and what kinds of tools they're issued. When a wish Tulip is unfamiliar with crosses his desk, from a child known as David who wishes to live as Daniela, he seeks the wise counsel of the Wish Fairy Captain and learns some new Wish Fairy Skills (while also introducing the concept of trans-identified children in a friendly, sympathetic way). Tulip gets in a little hot water, but ultimately his compassion and thoughtfulness win the day, while serving as a model for readers." www;flamingorampant.com

I got this book and Backwards Day from Bear a while ago but had never quite been in the mood for reading them until now. I was quite looking forward to reading it because I’ve read Bear’s other work and like the way he sees things so I thought his children’s books would be especially good. Obviously I’m not the intended audience at all so my thoughts on the book are going to be much different to a young child. I’m not overly sure what kind of age range it’s aimed at. It was much longer than I expected and I think it would take a lot of reading out loud to get through it all.

I found it a little too sickly sweet for my liking. It’s set in Fairy Headquarters and the idea of dipping wishes in Confidence Cream just made me cringe a little at how cutesy it was. I did like the assurance that if you’re a girl who feels like you should be a boy or a boy who feels like you should be a girl, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. I also liked the point that sometimes what seems to be a negative thing, such as wanting a younger sibling to go away, actually hides the real concern, that of not being loved any more.

The illustrations were bright and colourful, and I imagine children will find them particularly appealing. I especially liked the illustration of Tulip in the fountain which combines a drawing of the character on an actual photo. I thought it was really effective and I was a little disappointed that the other illustrations weren’t the same.

I particularly enjoyed some of the little hidden things that may not be apparent on a first read. Daniela’s teddy bear smiles and waves at Tulip in successive pictures, and the titles of the books in the library reference various friends and family members of Bear. There’s also a little message in the copyright text that is so well hidden, I wonder how many people have noticed it’s there! ( )

Tulip is a fairy that grants wishes and he goes on a journey to understand children that wish to change genders. Imaginative and full of whimsey, Tulip's story is a lesson in tolerance. The illustrations are in bright pastel colors done in computer graphic style. Tulip himself is brown-toned with a spiral haircut. The text is medium sized in black ink and there is a great deal of it. This is certainly not a book for beginning readers to read to themselves because of the amount of text present but it would make a great storytime book for a small group of kids. Children who like complex stories, want a challenging read, and are exploring gender identity will love this book. Highly Recommended. ( )