Tiny Jenny: Little Fairy, Big Trouble

by Briony May Smith (Author)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Join Tiny Jenny, a mischievous fairy born to a family of wrens, as she sets out to find her "real" family.

Mr. and Mrs. Wren are surprised when a tiny, wingless fairy hatches from one of their eggs...but they lovingly name her Tiny Jenny and raise her as their own.

Tiny Jenny--like all fairies--grows to be a menace in the woods. She digs up squirrel nuts and blocks mole hills. The other forest creatures are not happy. So Tiny Jenny decides it is time to leave her home and seek out her real fairy family.

But it turns out the fairies are anything but welcoming!

Oh, where does Tiny Jenny truly belong?

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Publishers Weekly

One of the hatching eggs in Mr. and Mrs. Wren's cozy nest is incongruously bright pink, and a small, human-like hand protrudes from it. "Oh dear!" says Blackbird, "Does this mean the fairies are coming back?" But the wingless creature that hatches out isn't a full fairy, and the kindly Wrens and their feathered offspring embrace her as one of their own, naming her Tiny Jenny. But her innate exuberance--"Well done, me!" she declares when she crashes to the ground after an unsuccessful attempt at flight--alarms the Wrens' animal neighbors. Upon Owl's suggestion that she look into her possible fairy background, Tiny Jenny runs away to join the gossamer forest beings, only to discover that they're actually insouciant bullies ("They didn't forage for food or gather twigs or sing songs. They just... smashed and stole stuff"). Tiny Jenny is indignant but also torn--does she belong anywhere? Smith (The Mermaid Moon) combines elegantly rendered mixed-media images with whip-smart humor and an irrepressible protagonist--the result is a fractured fairy story with a distinctly contemporary sensibility. Tiny Jenny is rendered with pale skin; the fairies are shown with a range of skin tones. Ages 4-8. Agent: Charlie Bowden, Pickled Ink. (Aug.)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Kirkus

Vivid illustrations will hold readers’ attention, though the text may leave them cold.

Review quotes

"Smith combines elegantly rendered mixed-media images with whip-smart humor and an irrepressible protagonist—the result is a fractured fairy story with a distinctly contemporary sensibility." —Publishers Weekly

"Readers of all ages will enjoy watching Tiny Jenny learn the difference between playfulness and truly bad behavior in this tale of embracing differences and finding your family." —BookPage

Briony May Smith
Briony May Smith grew up in Sandhurst in Berkshire, England, playing with her younger brother and sister. She is the illustrator of many books, including Stardust by Jeanne Willis and Tooth Fairy in Training by Michelle Robinson. Her work is inspired by fairy tales, folklore, and life in the country. Briony May Smith lives in Devon, England.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780593650479
Lexile Measure
620
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Anne Schwartz Books
Publication date
August 06, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
Library of Congress categories
Animals
Picture books
Fairies
Animal fiction
Belonging (Social psychology)
Wrens
Belonging

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