Avery and the Fairy Circle

Rowan Kingsbury is a Portland, OR based illustrator and storyteller creating work full of wonder, warmth and whimsy. She has a BFA in Illustration from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and has always loved living and working in the rainy pacific northwest, letting her childhood running through it's forests influence her art. Her past clients and exhibitions include Random House, Nucleus Portland Salut! 6, 7 and 8, and the Society of Illustrators Student Scholarship Competition 2020. When she isn't creating, she's probably cooking up something new in the kitchen or trying to find the nearest cat to bother.

This beautifully illustrated graphic novel opens with a moving van and parents carrying boxes into a new home. The protagonist, Avery, who is cued as white with disheveled dark curls, tells her parents she will be exploring the woods surrounding their new house and embarks with her nature journal in hand. From there, she tumbles into a fairy circle, becomes miniature-sized, and makes friends with a fairy named Birch. The delightful illustrations are a major draw into the ­story. The world Kingsbury creates is charming and cozy, in pastel hues sprinkled with both the adorable and magical. Those seeking ­danger or high-stakes adventure should look elsewhere. There is no major conflict in the story; Avery is invited to go along with Birch's family to a fairy festival and has a wonderful time. But therein lies the book's charm-it perfectly encapsules the cozy fantasy genre in one volume. Readers seeking books like K. O'Neill's "Tea Dragon" series will be hooked. Birch is cued white, while the fairies at the festival have varying skin tones. ­VERDICT A winsome tale of friendship and magic. ­Highly recommended.