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Enchanting little book. Why did I not know about this book when I was a child?
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The Fairy Doll
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Fairy Doll has always been at the top of the Christmas tree, brilliant in her white beaded dress and little silver shoes (which Elizabeth is sure were sewn by fairy mice). Elizabeth is the smallest in the family. She is always getting into trouble and her brothers and sisters are forever leaving her out and ordering her around. She’s convinced she’s useless. Then Great-Grandma gives Fairy Doll to Elizabeth—and it isn't even Christmas! From then on Elizabeth keeps hearing a little "Ting!" which seems to tell her what to do. Suddenly everything starts going right instead of wrong. Could Fairy Doll be magical?
45 pages, Paperback
First published September 6,1956
This edition
- Format
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45 pages, Paperback
- Published
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January 1, 1984 by Methuen Publishing
- ISBN
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9780416458503
- ASIN
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0416458505
- Language
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English
About the author
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Margaret Rumer Godden was an English author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably Black Narcissus in 1947 and The River in 1951.
A few of her works were co-written with her elder sister, novelist Jon Godden, including Two Under the Indian Sun, a memoir of the Goddens' childhood in a region of India now part of Bangladesh.
A few of her works were co-written with her elder sister, novelist Jon Godden, including Two Under the Indian Sun, a memoir of the Goddens' childhood in a region of India now part of Bangladesh.
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Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 32 votes)
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32 reviews All reviews
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Elizabeth is the youngest child, forever doomed to be not as smart or athletic as her older siblings, or ever able to do anything. Until her great-grandmother visits and she gets a fairy of her very own. Poor Elizabeth! Her teacher and family were rotten to her. But who doesn't dream of someone kind coming to help navigate growing up and tough situations? I loved seeing her blossom.
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My first Christmas book of the year, this is the story of a Christmas Fairy that a family places at the top of its tree every year. One year, Great Grandmother gives the fairy doll to Elizabeth, the youngest of the three children. Elizabeth is clumsy and slow, always teased by her older siblings, and even denigrated by her parents and teacher at times. The fairy doll becomes Elizabeth's friend and allows her to develop her creative talents, while giving her the confidence she needs to progress at school and in life.
Is there an element of magic? Or is it really that Elizabeth just needs to think there is to finally find her way?
Is there an element of magic? Or is it really that Elizabeth just needs to think there is to finally find her way?
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Slightly old-fashioned but very sweet and charming. I loved the glimpses into a child's imagination - sawdust as fairy sand and a shell for a bed. I also like how it's left to the reader to decide whether the Fairy Doll really was magical.
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Sweetly charming.
n n was my favourite book as a young child (i'm still hoping for a copy to turn up at my work)
This book also captures the world of lonely child whose imagination helps her retreat into a world of make believe. I loved the world of dolls (or in this case a Christmas Fairy ornament) where a flower bud can make a doll's hat or a nasturtium leaf, a parasol.
Old fashioned, yes (and I particularly winced when Elizabeth's teacher called her stupid) but I adored and will always adore, Rumer Godden's books.
n n was my favourite book as a young child (i'm still hoping for a copy to turn up at my work)
This book also captures the world of lonely child whose imagination helps her retreat into a world of make believe. I loved the world of dolls (or in this case a Christmas Fairy ornament) where a flower bud can make a doll's hat or a nasturtium leaf, a parasol.
Old fashioned, yes (and I particularly winced when Elizabeth's teacher called her stupid) but I adored and will always adore, Rumer Godden's books.
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Sweet story about a sad little girl who is helped by the fairy doll from the top of the Christmas tree.
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Read through it quickly so can’t comment in depth on it. However, two particular themes impressed upon me: the importance of creativity and that people develop at different rates. The creativity that children seem to possess in limitless droves seems to gradually diminish as we learn more about what can happen and see everything else as impossible, impractical or inferior. It was nice seeing how it commended creativity over strict knowledge of possibility and prior experience. It also hit me how the Fairy Doll could be analogous for someone hitting their stride developmentally. Elizabeth struggles with a number of developmental tasks early in the story but when she is given the Fairy Doll she suddenly has the capacity to do them. While the transition seems a bit unrealistically sudden, it is a children’s book. It does make you think about how pressure and stress can restrict ability and how people mock individuals who haven’t yet accomplished particular tasks, even though there are a myriad of reasons that might be behind it and even though never accomplishing those things still wouldn’t mean that the person is inferior. It also explores sibling rivalry and bullying. I wasn't too fond of the idea of tit-for-tat that popped up a few times, but children would probably find it amusing and fitting. Essentially, it's a cute story and I think that there are a number of things that children could think about and discuss with their parents after reading this book.
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Warning - this review is full of spoilers!
This is a story about Elizabeth, the youngest of four siblings, and the fairy doll that normally graces the top of the family Christmas tree. Elizabeth, being the youngest, is always struggling to keep up with her older sisters and brother, none of whom is the least bit understanding of her difficulties, most of which are perfectly explained by her age and the length of her legs. Her teacher is no help either, strongly reminding me of a particularly poor and cruel teacher my siblings and I encountered in primary school. We get an annual glimpse of Elizabeth's progress or lack thereof. (Note to parents - if you are going to buy your child a bicycle for Christmas, please make sure that their feet can reach the peddles properly!) Then one year, the children's great-grandmother comes to stay over Christmas from Canada - great excitement all round. As the youngest, Elizabeth is deputed to present great-grandma with a heavy crystal glass basket full of Christmas roses. Elizabeth, aged seven at this point, is mesmerised by the drop at the end of great-grandma's nose, which reminds her of the crystal drop on the fairy doll's forehead, and is therefore slow in going forward. Big sister Josie gives her a push - disaster ensues! (I'll bet great-grandma is secretly very glad not to have to lug a heavy crystal glass basket back to Canada with her!) Elizabeth takes refuge in tears in her special hiding place while everyone else has Christmas tea and opens presents. Great-grandma asks to see Elizabeth, so her mother fetches her and leaves her alone with great-grandma. At this point Fairy Doll falls/flies down from the top of the Christmas tree, and great-grandma says that she was just going to say that Elizabeth needed a good fairy and she had better have this one.
Fairy Doll brings out the best in Elizabeth and of course age and longer legs have kicked in and Elizabeth learns that she CAN do things well, including learning to ride that blasted bike. But she still thinks that Fairy Doll is the reason that she can - until one day, at the end of October, Fairy Doll disappears. Elizabeth is heartbroken. Then great-grandma comes to big sister Christabel's birthday tea, and takes it for granted that Elizabeth can do things now. With this reinforcement, Elizabeth realises that she can do things herself, without any help from Fairy Doll. Who magically reappears when needed to go on top of the Christmas tree!
This is another Christmas favourite of mine. I have no idea how many times I have read it, but here's one more!
This is a story about Elizabeth, the youngest of four siblings, and the fairy doll that normally graces the top of the family Christmas tree. Elizabeth, being the youngest, is always struggling to keep up with her older sisters and brother, none of whom is the least bit understanding of her difficulties, most of which are perfectly explained by her age and the length of her legs. Her teacher is no help either, strongly reminding me of a particularly poor and cruel teacher my siblings and I encountered in primary school. We get an annual glimpse of Elizabeth's progress or lack thereof. (Note to parents - if you are going to buy your child a bicycle for Christmas, please make sure that their feet can reach the peddles properly!) Then one year, the children's great-grandmother comes to stay over Christmas from Canada - great excitement all round. As the youngest, Elizabeth is deputed to present great-grandma with a heavy crystal glass basket full of Christmas roses. Elizabeth, aged seven at this point, is mesmerised by the drop at the end of great-grandma's nose, which reminds her of the crystal drop on the fairy doll's forehead, and is therefore slow in going forward. Big sister Josie gives her a push - disaster ensues! (I'll bet great-grandma is secretly very glad not to have to lug a heavy crystal glass basket back to Canada with her!) Elizabeth takes refuge in tears in her special hiding place while everyone else has Christmas tea and opens presents. Great-grandma asks to see Elizabeth, so her mother fetches her and leaves her alone with great-grandma. At this point Fairy Doll falls/flies down from the top of the Christmas tree, and great-grandma says that she was just going to say that Elizabeth needed a good fairy and she had better have this one.
Fairy Doll brings out the best in Elizabeth and of course age and longer legs have kicked in and Elizabeth learns that she CAN do things well, including learning to ride that blasted bike. But she still thinks that Fairy Doll is the reason that she can - until one day, at the end of October, Fairy Doll disappears. Elizabeth is heartbroken. Then great-grandma comes to big sister Christabel's birthday tea, and takes it for granted that Elizabeth can do things now. With this reinforcement, Elizabeth realises that she can do things herself, without any help from Fairy Doll. Who magically reappears when needed to go on top of the Christmas tree!
This is another Christmas favourite of mine. I have no idea how many times I have read it, but here's one more!
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