Select one of the keywords
Care and Feeding of Sprites: The Spiderwick Chronicles    by Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi Amazon.com order for
Care and Feeding of Sprites
by Holly Black
Order:  USA  Can
Simon & Schuster, 2006 (2006)
Hardcover
* *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Young fans of the popular Spiderwick Chronicles will turn the pages of this new offering with enthusiasm, and enjoy the full-size glow-in-the-dark poster that accompanies it. This handbook - for those who want to keep sprites (fairies) as pets - begins with a letter from Simon Grace.

There are quite a few full page color pictures of specific types of sprites, like the Leatherwing or Dancing Pondneedle. They show the true appearance of the sprite without glamour, and indicate size in millimeters. Symbols give clues to attributes like preferred habitat, disposition, and locomotion (walk, hop or fly). I rather like the ones for Sings / Thinks it can sing, and Trainable / Not trainable.

Along with advice on proper care and feeding of a sprite are interspersed a series of warnings such as: don't attempt to keep a sprite if you don't have the Sight (the ability to see fairies); don't gossip about your sprites as they have 'super-attuned hearing'; avoid online auction sites; and don't overfeed. Spiderwick fans will be thrilled (and amused) by this magical book and its delightful drawings.

Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.

Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews