The Mud Fairy    by Amy Young Order:  USA  Can Bloomsbury, 2010 (2010) Hardcover      Reviewed by Bob Walch Let me tell you, it is not easy being a fairy. My name is Emmalina, and in this picture book you'll discover all the problems I encountered before I earned my fairy wings. The way it works is when a fairy reaches 100 years of age she has to be good at something or do something to earn her wings. And, without wings, a fairy doesn't have much of a fun life. Now some fairies are good at opening flowers so they blossom, or they can string dewdrops on spider webs, or even make rainbows, so they earn their wings pretty easily. Now me, well, I am not too good at any of those things. In fact, everything I tried was a disaster. The queen fairy even told me to relax because I was trying too hard, she said. At that point I went off to be with my friends, the frogs, who live in a swamp. When I got there they said, 'Something is wrong with our children!' I checked everything out and actually the tadpoles were just fine. They just needed a little time to mature so I stuck around and watched over them. I protected them from a big, hungry fish and a human collecting specimens in a jar. Imagine that! When the tadpoles developed and were little frogs, I taught them how to jump and catch flies. When I eventually went home the queen fairy said, Emmalina, I know what you have been doing. Uh-oh, I thought. I was in big trouble now. I was muddy and messy, not dainty and delicate at all. I even smelled kind of froggy. Well, it turned out that the queen wasn't upset with me. In fact, it was just the opposite. She smiled and said that I had earned my wings and I had done so with high honors. I then became known as Emmalina the Mud Fairy, Protector of Frogs. Now, just how cool is that? If you are three or four years old I think you'll really like my picture book. The illustrations are pretty neat, although you may notice I don't mind getting all dirty. In fact, I rather enjoy playing in the water and mud with my little green friends. 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