The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies

Some people think that fairies only live far away, in magical lands.

Many fairies do. But there are some fairies, a few, who live all around us. And we can see where they live if we know how to look for them.

Spring is a perfect time to go outside. Let?s go look for clues. This will be an adventure!

Could a tulip be a good place for hide-and-seek? Could a bit of dandelion fluff be a pillow? They could be, if fairies live nearby. This book invites kids to have a backyard adventure searching for the telltale signs of fairies who might be residing all around them. Not only can children “search” for fairies in the book’s unique blend of art and photography, but they will also be encouraged to discover the wonder and magic in nature, whether in a backyard or a local park. The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies is a perfect title for summer!

Picture Book | Ages 4 – 7
Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-9749303-3-6 | 32 pages | $15.95
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-933718-50-7 | 32 pages | $8.95
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-933718-45-3 | $8.99
Lexile Level: 590 | Guided Reading Level: K | Grade Level: 2 | Reading Recovery Level: 18

Meet Author Ammi-Joan Paquette

Ammi-Joan has been writing stories since early childhood. She and her sister would spend hours creating masterpieces of stapled paper and handwritten words, complete with pen-and-ink covers and boxed illustrations. Her favorite part of the process was creating a list for the back cover: “Don’t miss the other books in this series!” That list of eye-catching titles always seemed like way less work than (hand) writing out a whole book. But isn’t that just the way of things?

The road to publication was long and winding, peppered with many small successes including: a variety of national magazine publications, being a 2005 PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award honoree, and receiving the 2008 SCBWI’s Susan Landers Glass Scholarship Award, for the book that would later become Nowhere Girl. Ammi’s first picture book, The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies, was published in 2009.

Ammi-Joan now lives with her husband and two daughters in the Boston area, where she continues to write (and agent) books for children and young adults.

Meet Illustrator Christa Unzner

Christa Unzner is an illustrator living in Berlin who has worked on over 100 children’s books. Her work is predominately in pen and ink, however, in 2002 she started adding digital elements.

Thematically, in addition to classic children’s books, she focuses on fairy tales and legends, as well as works of world literature for children and young people.

Other Books by Author

The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies Reviews

“This story informs readers that fairies are just about everywhere, if they know how to look. The art is composed of photographs juxtaposed with cartoon-like drawings of the magical creatures. For example, an image of a field of tulips, with fairies peeking out here and there, is accompanied by text that reads, “Fairies love flowers. These tulips would be just right for playing hide-and-seek. Curled up inside, a fairy could not be spotted by anyone.” Paquette encourages readers to help the sprites by doing things like blowing dandelion fluff to make a pillow or moving a rock to make a pool. A positive quality of this book is that it seeks to inspire children to notice the magnificent natural world in their own backyard or neighborhood.”

Linda M. Kenton, Pickleweed Public Library, San Rafael, CA, School Library Journal

“The lure of fairies never fades, and the idea that they lurk nearby, waiting to be found, is still exciting to children. And Unzner’s (Princess Me) use of photographs (some of which feature fairy-seeking kids) as backdrops for her delicate fairies drives that notion home..Text and art work in tandem to create gentle suspense-scenes, such as one in which fairies retrieve a lost slipper just behind the retreating shoes of the searching children, will prompt giggles, and the promise of a fairy encounter is sweetly fulfilled at the end…readers should be enticed by the idea of magic infusing the natural world. Ages 4-8.”

Publishers Weekly

“With a delightful mix of photos and illustrations, The Tiptoe Guide To Tracking Fairies is a wonderful way to get your imagination in gear for your own fairie spotting adventure.”

Fairy Magazine