View source for The Fairy Ball (Lettice) by Mandy Stanley

{{infobox2
|sort=Fairy Ball (Lettice)
|title=The Fairy Ball (Lettice)
|author=Mandy Stanley
|reviewer=Magda Healey
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Pretty and completely inoffensive (unless you can't stand glitter) with just about readable text and very attractive pictures. Children who liked the previous Lettice books will like this one, while other girly girls aged roughly 3 to 5 might enjoy it too.
|rating=3
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Maybe
|pages=32
|publisher=Harper Collins Children's Books
|date=May 2007
|isbn=978-0007201952
|aznuk=0007201958
|aznus=0007201958
|cover=0007201958
}}
Lettice is a rabbit. She lives with her family in a rather pretty bit of the countryside, and one day, while making a daisy chain, gets an invitation to a Fairy Ball. Duly sprinkled with fairy dust, she sneaks through a hole in the tree into the magic country, where her daisy chain gets the honour of becoming reins for Queen Titania's carriage. Lovely party ensues and as thanks, Lettice gets one wish to use when she comes back home.

As you can see, we are very much in the girly, sparkly, fluffy, insufferably
pink territory here and anybody older than 6 would probably find coping with
''The Fairy Ball'' rather hard. However, the girly girls of 3 and 4 years
of age would almost certainly love this picture book as it it's very pretty
indeed. In fact, the artwork in ''The Fairy Ball'' is very good, with
dynamic, well executed pictures, obviously sickly sweet and dripping with
glitter but beautifully drawn and rather good in its kind. Lettice itself is
very endearing little rabbit indeed, with clearly expressive face.

The text is less appealing, it reads aloud without squirming, but that's
about it, there is no particularly good poetic or rhythmical quality to it
nor noticeable creative use of language. The story itself presents a gentle
adventure, it doesn't even have a moral as there is no material to make it
from, and will undoubtedly delight many little girls, with its realisation
of the Magic dream and a perfect blend of all these current girly icons:
fairies, princesses and ballerinas (as there is some dancing to be had and
Lettice ends up wearing a kind of tutu outfit).

There is nothing special about ''The Fairy Ball'' but it's pretty and
completely inoffensive (unless you '''really''' can't stand glitter) with
just about readable text and very attractive pictures. Children who liked
the previous Lettice books will like this one, while other girly girls aged
roughly 3 to 5 might enjoy it too.

Thanks to HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks for sending this book.

[[:Category:Daisy Meadows|Daisy Meadows']] [[Rainbow Magic]] provides similar fodder to a slightly older audience. For a touch of real storytelling magic, go for [[The Cat, the Crow, and the Banyan Tree]].

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