Review by Booklist Review
On a whim, two fairy friends named Mip and Pip hold an architecture competition. What begins as a friendly contest to build the best tree house becomes a cautionary tale about thoughtfulness verses impetuousness and teamwork versus self-centeredness. While Mip flies around in her toadstool hat stacking twigs into a tall but tenuous structure, Pip takes his time to plan, measure, and construct a building better suited to withstand the elements. Sure enough, the wind begins to gust and soon the tower began to tremble, creak, and sway, and Mip's construction falls. After rescuing Pip from the wreckage, Mip and her friend work together to turn the ruins into a bridge connecting their two tree houses, forming a single, sturdier structure. This sweet story is ideally illustrated in MacKay's signature, light-filled diorama style, set in an enchanted forest of gentle greens, yellows, pinks, and blues. A little drama, a trusty moral, and a happy ending make for a satisfying tale.--Andrew Medlar Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Mip and Pip, two woodland fairies of drastically different dispositions, hold a contest to see which of them can build "the best tree house by sundown."The sprites' physical and temperamental differences propel this familiar grasshopper-ant-style story. Mip sings loudly, has a flamboyant, flouncy mushroom cap on her pate, and spirits quickly about the forest looking for action. Pip reads architecture books quietly by himself, has an elongated green bud extending elegantly from his head, and deliberately plans. Yet they're unquestionably best friends. Thought clouds show just how differently the friends think: Mip dreams up a colorful treehouse towering with turrets and flapping flags, while Pip pictures cornices and cupolas sketched out meticulously under typeset headers. When Mip's overreaching, slapdash treehouse predictably teeters and falls, a timeless moral shines through the wreckage: Thoughtful planning and diligence pay off. Lesser stories stop here, but these fairies persevere together, connecting the remains of Mip's house with Pip's to make an astounding treehouse that combines both their visions. Young readers glean that antithetical personalities can work beautifully together and that contrapuntal viewpoints can produce an amazing synthesis. MacKay's backlit dioramas, suffused with watery colors, glow gauzily. Moss greens and dawn pinks conjure the light-skinned fairies' forest, a place that feels both familiar and faraway. Sweetly offers essential, timely lessons about aligning with those different from oneself. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
