Review by Booklist Review
Meet Billy and Mary. They are siblings. So, naturally, much of their life is consumed with protests of It's not fair! Sick of it, their parents warn them about the It's Not Fairy, who flies around the globe at night looking to sup on ungrateful kids in a very Shel Silverstein fashion: She gnaws knobbly knees / (with ketchup and peas). / She scoffs boiled head / (with honey, on bread). / She guzzles kids' legs / (with bacon and eggs). After Mom and Dad also get caught complaining about unfairness, Asquith switches over to the curly-fonted Fairy perspective: she'll bake the whole family into a Fairy Cake if they don't put things right by sundown! It's a somewhat schizophrenic book, bopping from one character's point of view to the next and mixing spindly cartoon and multimedia collage with stick-figure art supposedly drawn by Billy and Mary. The throughline gets a bit lost along the way, but the red-faced, foot-stomping emotion always keeps things lively. And it ends with a Fairy Cake recipe? Oh, why not?--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-A somewhat fresh and funny look at those who grumble about the unfairness of things. When Billy and Mary shout, "IT'S NOT FAIR!" Mum and Dad warn, "You don't want to mess with the It's Not Fairy!" What does she do to children who whine and moan? Why, she eats them! She'll roast them and toast them and gnaw knobbly knees (with ketchup, of course). But are children the only ones who whine "It's not fair?" No way. Occasionally, parents do, too, and they can incur the wrath of the Fairy as well. To keep her happy, it's up to the whole family to work together to make life more agreeable. Asquith's busy cartoons offer some just plain silliness and humorous detail, including an opportunity for readers to find the "hidden" fairy with each page turn. Bright watercolors liven up the somewhat corny references to the many ways humans can be consumed. Fairy lovers beware though: the It's Not Fairy more closely resembles a cantankerous gremlin than a fairy so don't expect her to win anyone over. Better to just appease this little creature.-Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Rhymed and subversively, hilariously funny, this British import might well spark discussion while amusing mightily. The It's Not Fairy looms on the title page, with lavender, toes-turned-up sneakers, torn-paper wings and a pale blue face. Mary complains when Billy gets ice cream but she just has a pear, and Billy does the same when Mary wins a costume prize and he does not. "IT'S NOT FAIR!" Their parents threaten them with the It's Not Fairy, butDad carries on when he does dishes and no one helps, and Mum when she does all the housework with no help. "IT'S NOT FAIR!" The It's Not Fairy, enraged by all the whining, announces she is going to just eat everyone up (on the menu: Fried Father with PAmesan). The horrified children placate the fairy by making a list of all the ways they are going to help each other and their parents to make life a little more fair. When the It's Not Fairy grouses that now she has nothing to eat, everyone complains and carries on until they collapse in an affectionate heap. Even the fairy. A recipe for It's Not Fairy Cakes is included, chopped-up fairy optional. The illustrations are wild and squiggly and full of wonderful patterns, and the typeface joins in with the fun. May not end complaining altogether, but it's sure to get a lot of laughs. (Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
