When I Was a Fairy
Tom Silson and Ewa Poklewska-Koziello
Flying Eye Books

A grandmother shares reminiscences with her grandchild about the days back when she was a youngster. “When I was a fairy, I lived in an ancient willow, / Inside a homely hollow with a round red door. / When I was a fairy I slept on dandelion pillows. / Back when I was a fairy, do you want to hear more?” 

She goes on to talk of summers spent leaping over lily pads,

meandering through meadows, gathering blackberries, meeting up with all the other fairies to share letters from children. Then in winter, skating on snowflakes and painting holly berries. 

Those were times when everything was possible and days were for exploration.

And so it can be once more, only now it will be in the company of her grandchild for whom as yet, untold adventures await. 

So, invites gran, “Let me show you … clap your hands, flap your wings and come fly with me.”

With magical creatures aplenty adorning the pages so richly illustrated by Ewa Poklewska-Koziello, this rhyming tale of intergenerational love, memories and delighting in the natural world is a lovely one to share especially between grandmothers and their young grandchildren, particularly those who like stories with a touch of whimsy and enchantment.