View source for Flora the Fairy's Magic Spells (Green Bananas) by Tony Bradman and Emma Carlow

{{infobox2 
|title= Flora the Fairy's Magic Spells (Green Bananas)
|author= Tony Bradman and Emma Carlow 
|reviewer= Jo Heffer
|genre=For Sharing 
|summary= Flora normally loves school but when Miss Glitter announces there is to be a test she is not so sure. Will Flora's worries get the better of her or can she overcome them? This lovely book is ideal for children who are just starting to read independently.
|rating=4.5 
|buy= Yes
|borrow= Yes
|pages=48 
|publisher= Egmont Books Ltd
|date= March 2009
|isbn=978-1405242325 
|aznuk=1405242329
|aznus=1405242329
|cover=1405242329
}}

Flora is a small fairy who, like lots of other young children, has a lot of learning to do! She goes to school with all her friends but one day she hears some news that she does not like at all. There is to be a test for all the young fairies and this makes Flora very worried. Everyone has to cast a spell where they turn Smorky, the class pet dragon, into a small unicorn and then turn him back again. Although her teacher Miss Glitter provides a lot of practice, Flora is very worried even after Mum, Dad, Nana and Grandpop all help her. The day of the test looms and the big question is whether Flora can overcome her nerves and get the spell right?

This delightful little story really appealed to my five year old daughter. Flora is a sweet character and one that many small girls could probably identify with. Also, the fact that there is a test and that Flora is worried provides a good talking point, particularly if there are tests in school coming up. My daughter was very pleased for Flora that she had so much help and she could also see that worrying about it wasn't going to do any good.

This story is slightly lengthier than the picture story books that we are used to, but with only forty eight pages it's possible to read it in one go. It's also easy for emerging readers to have a go at reading parts of the story for themselves too. The words that are used are very accessible and once a child has gained a good phonic knowledge and they have a bank of high frequency words, they should be able to read most of this with just a little adult help. My daughter really enjoyed being able to read most of this but there did come a point when she just wanted to listen while Mummy read to her. However, as some of the words are in speech bubbles it is possible to share the reading with the adult reading the bulk of the text whilst the child supplies the speech. This is a very enjoyable way of reading together too.

Every page has delightful colour illustrations and these really reinforce what is happening in the story. There are not too many words on any page too, so the actual task of reading is not too onerous for a small child. Also, as the story is divided up into three short chapters, it is possible to break up the reading into manageable chunks.

This story is one of a series of Banana Storybooks and these are banded into three colours. This book is a Green Banana which means that it has three short stories (or chapters) for first readers. The Blue Bananas and Red Bananas are for developing and newly fluent readers.

I thought this book was excellent for encouraging my daughter with her reading and was pitched at exactly the right level. We will definitely be looking out for more Banana Storybooks.

If you like the sound of this book, you might like to take a look at [[Daisy Dawson and the Secret Pool by Steve Voake|Daisy Dawson and the Secret Pool]] - another book that is suitable for early readers.

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[[Category:Confident Readers]]