Just as seashells house the sound and spirit of the sea, so too the forest houses the sound and spirit of the legendary fairies. A 1997 Parents' Choice Gold Award winner, Kristen's Fairy House takes its viewers on a quiet journey of many unexpected discoveries. Young Kristen ventures into the peaceful surroundings of an island off the coast of Maine with her talented Aunt Tracy, a storybook artist. Together they explore a wonderful woodsy land dedicated to the creation of fairy houses. As the week--and Kristen's own fairy house project--progresses, the two share simple moments of heartwarming pleasure: a cozy campfire, a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, a late-night waltz in their quaint cottage. The entire movie is shot as a documentary, narrated in retrospective prose by Kristen. Throughout the story, she learns the importance of viewing the world with an artist's eye, appreciating beauty in the smallest packages. Its simple style, harmonious score, and inviting scenery make this short feature tremendously enjoyable for youngsters old enough to ponder the reality of fairies and adults young enough to let them. The videotape package includes a handout, illustrated by Aunt Tracy, that describes tips for building a fairy house like Kristen's. Upon viewing, kids will probably want to dig right in and build their own.

My 6-year old really enjoyed it.
From a video standpoint, it's a bit amateurish, but that kind of lends an extra sense of innocence to the story.
My daughter, who is quite taken with fairies at the moment, thought it was wonderful.
Since watching the film, she's wanted to be outdoors more and find places to build fairy houses out of sticks and leaves and other natural objects.
That's a welcome (if temporary) switch from the world of glittery princesses.
My husband and I appreciated the beautiful Maine scenery.
I would have given it 5 stars but I thought it was a bit expensive.

Kristen's Fairy House (The Fairy Houses Series)

Where the Fairys are.
This is a charming "real people" story. I think it will do well for the 6-10 year olds.
Great for letting children"s imaginations run and certainly sparks creativity!

A lovely, slow-paced story
This is a good video for motivating children to look more closely at the natural world surrounding them.

A young girl, Kristen, and her artist aunt go to an island in Maine so that her aunt can paint illustrations for her book. Kristen discovers fairy houses, which are simple, all natural constructions made for fairies. She makes several, and then observes them regularly for signs of fairies. She sees many signs of animal life, not fairy life. At the very end, however, there are signs of - well, you decide!

My children of course wanted to make their own fairy houses, which apparently naturalists now discourage on this particular island in Maine, but I have not stopped my children from picking up bark, twigs, fallen leaves and stones, and propping them up against the base of a tree to make their own fairy houses, particularly in our own yard.

The book is a nice companion to the movie.

Fairy Houses (The Fairy Houses Series) (Fairy Houses) by Tracy L. Kane

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