Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Book Review: A Book of Pixie Stories by Enid Blyton

A Book of Pixie Stories by Enid Blyton

This children's book is full of stories of the fairy folk, interacting both with each other and with the human world, mostly with children. The locations vary from elven villages to children's bedrooms to dark forests to fine gardens. The tales are told with simplicity and directness. They aren't so poetic or vivid but are enjoyable enough.

Many stories have some moral point to make that is reinforced by the last line, e.g. "He learned that laziness left him in lots of trouble. You don't want to be lazy, do you?" Those endings seem a little heavy-handed and undercut the storytelling a bit. The moral is usually pretty obvious and does not need underlining.

Other stories are tales of whimsy and imagination that are charming but predictable. One story tells of a fairy party that almost goes awry because the tables and chairs are not delivered. One friend plants mushroom seeds which seems unhelpful to the party thrower. Then the mushroom sprout up just in time for the midnight festivities, making perfect tables and chairs for the little folk. The ending isn't really a surprise. The ideas spark the imagination but the execution seems formulaic. Maybe I'm just not the target audience for this book.

The book doesn't seem to be available in America, unless it's the edition I've linked to below. It is available in the UK where I got my copy at a second hand shop.

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