Fairytale - A True Story

The infamous, true story of the Cottingley fairies inspired a media circus back in 1917. Cousins Elsie and Frances claimed to have discovered fairies living in a meadow and took photographs showing the winged creatures as they played with them. The girls' claims catapult the family into fame as the imagination of the public is well and truly captured by the images. The family face a barrage of scrutiny from sceptical journalists and curious members of the public, and celebrities such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini become involved in the magical mystery.

This 1997 film is loosely based on the true life story and boasts a star studded cast including Peter O'Toole, Harvey Keitel, Paul McGann and Bill Nighy.

The issue of whether the photos are real or faked, challenges the beliefs of all involved. Some want to believe with all their hearts, others stringently attempt to disprove their authenticity, steadfastly refusing to publicly acknowledge the existence of fairies.

In the aftermath of World War I, both girls have suffered personal tragedies in their lives, but their imagination, innocence and sense of wonder leads them into this incredible journey.  The time is right for the world to want to believe in magic and to recapture its innocence.

 In the real life version of events, the photos are renounced as fakes, but the film is more open minded to the fairies' existence and to life's mysteries. This allows a real sense of wonder and magic to be brought into the storytelling.

This film is beautifully shot and the gentle story and excellent acting go together to produce an enchanting family movie. It also makes the viewer think about whether perhaps there is more to the world than meets the eye, and makes us question to what extent our cynicism prevent us from finding out about it. As grown-ups we lose our ability to truly believe. This film reminds us that perhaps we should remember how to make the impossible possible again.

This lovely film is available on DVD on March 23rd 2015 courtesy of Icon Film Distribution, rated certificate U.

Some Lovely New Children's Picture Books on Review

The Boy Who Ate Everything 

by Clemency Pearce, illustrations by Richard Watson 
Top That Publishing RRP £6.99

If ever a book was written to appeal to my 4 year old son, it was this one.  The rhythmic, rhyming text tells the story of an old man reminiscing about the "most gruesome thing" he ever did that resulted in him being grounded for 80 years!!  As a kid he was so hungry he ate everything that came his way including his brother's underpants and the lady next door!  But it was the can of baked beans that he ate which was the final straw!  With colourful, funny pictures and a text that literally causes little ones to laugh out loud, this book will get even the most reluctant readers interested in books.  It's the perfect dose of toilet humour for kids and parents with a childish sense of humour.  Freddy thinks it is hilarious and it is such fun to read aloud.

Go To Sleep Or I Let Loose The Leopard 

by Steve Cole, illustrations by Bruce Ingman
Random House RRP £6.99

Joe and Ellie are playing up for the new babysitter and refusing to stay in bed but she has some tricks up her sleeve!  After lots of seemingly empty threats about unleashing toy-munching monsters and naughty-child-nibbling plants, the babysitter plays her trump card and let's loose the leopard!

There is a lovely twist in this fun going-to-bed book, which little ones will really enjoy.  The imagery of the words from the exasperated babysitter alongside the quirky illustrations combine to make this a great bedtime story.  A fantasy comic tale, which babysitters, parents and children will enjoy and be able to relate to.  The final page is just perfect and made the whole book for me!

Fairies of Blossom Bakery - Butterfly and the Birthday Surprise

by Mandy Archer and Kirsteen Harris-Jones
Random House RRP £6.99 (available 27/02/14)

For children who love stories about fairies and enjoy baking cakes, the Fairies of Blossom Hill Bakery is a series of books that combine those two things. The beautifully illustrated books feature tales from the Fairycake Kingdom where best friends Cupcake, Cookie, Plum, Sparkle, Button and Butterfly enjoy magical adventures together.  Suitable for slightly older readers to read independently, or as a story to share, these books are filled with pretty, gentle, frilly and fancy fairy related content.  Each book comes complete with a recipe so budding bakers can bake a delicious cake inspired by the story.

In Butterfly and the Birthday Surprise, the fairies organise the best birthday party ever but Butterfly is a bit bossy trying to make the perfect day, doing everything her way.  But when things start to go wrong, Butterfly learns that celebrating with friends is the best present a fairy could wish for, as they come together to save the day with a wonderful birthday surprise.

This book includes a recipe for Butterfly's Fluttery Wings Cake, which is a lighter-than-air sponge butterfly cake, perfect for sharing!  Children can make the cake with grown-up supervision and learn new skills in the kitchen.  It's a nice idea to have the story and the recipe together.  Children will love making the cake that the fairies have made in the story.  I'll be giving the recipe a go myself...the lemon cream cheese frosting sounds divine!