A Fairy in a Dairy
by Lucy Nolan (Author) Laura J Bryant (Illustrator)
When the little town of Buttermilk Hollow acquires a fairy godmother, magical things involving dairy products start to occur.
Buttermilk Hollow is about to become the next victim of big business. People are moving away from the sleepy town, and the farmers, with Mayor Clabber's encouragement, are thinking about selling their land to a factory. If only the town had a fairy godmother, Farmer Blue wistfully wishes to his cow, Pixie.
The next day, dairy products pop up in the most unusual spots--under pillows, out of the sky, and in the shape of elegant Swiss cheese formal wear. As the mysterious gifts continue, the "For Sale" signs disappear and the townspeople celebrate their dairy windfalls. But who is the fairy godmother?
This delicious picture book celebrates the power of bovine magic with sunny illustrations and a delightful surprise ending.
Locate at a Library Near You WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
Find books about:
Publishers Weekly
Buttermilk Hollow is a farming community with gallons of Norman Rockwell charm, but "For Sale" signs dot the family homesteads. Everyone believes it's just a matter of time before the town is bulldozed to make way for a toothpick factory-much to the delight of the seemingly evil Mayor Clabber, who stands to make a mint. "What this town needs is a fairy godmother," Farmer Blue tells his favorite dairy cow, Pixie. And from the next day forward, dairy-related magic descends on the town. A girl discovers a tub of frozen yogurt under her pillow, left by the tooth fairy (the sprite also leaves behind a trail of "fairy dust"-aka powdered milk), and "Eddie Ricotta even found a Muenster hiding under his bed," writes Nolan (The Lizard Man of Crabtree County), in one of the sly puns that adds a tangy tartness to her text. Bryant (God Gave Us Two) chronicles the town's enchantment and its subsequent revitalization in detailed, meticulously tinted watercolors; she pays tribute to the old-fashioned joys of rural life, and every picture bubbles with a spunky, homespun energy. The last pages may over-milk the narrative (not only is the town saved, but the fairy is captured and revealed-it's a tutu-clad Pixie-and the greedy Mayor turns out to be just a misunderstood Limburger lover) but the charms of this tale do not curdle. Even the lactose-intolerant should savor its imaginativeness. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 2003 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2-The town of Buttermilk Hollow is in a bad way. The young folks are leaving, and the local dairy farms face being overrun by a toothpick company that wants to build a factory. Farmer Blue declares that what the town needs is a fairy godmother. Soon thereafter, strange and magical things begin to happen: Little Annie Colby loses her tooth and awakens to a tub of frozen yogurt under her pillow; Jenny Tilsit wishes for a new gown for the Dairymen's Ball and one made of Swiss cheese appears. Farmers begin to take down their "For Sale" signs, the young decide to stay put, and the mayor is beside himself. How will he get rich if he can't sell his land? He sends the sheriff to investigate, leading readers on a funny expedition to solve the dairy-products-everywhere mystery. The fairy turns out to be Farmer Blue's Jersey cow wearing a pink tutu and riding a bicycle. Readers will delight in the frolicsome humor of cheese turning up in the strangest places. The funny, spirited illustrations, well executed in watercolors, will make children chuckle, especially the one of the farmer talking to his attentive brown cow, Pixie. Large enough for reading aloud, and well suited to doing so.
Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
JUV025000 - Juvenile Fiction | Lifestyles | Farm Life & Ranch Life
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV002310 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Cows
