Solid, Liquid, Gassy! (Fairy Science)

Esther is a fairy who believes in science, not magic: “While the other fairies wish on stars, Esther conducts experiments.” The sprites have little patience for “her silly logical theories,” but when their pond disappears, Esther leads the way, using the scientific method to discover why. The skeptical fairies dismiss the science but appreciate the clever costumes Esther and her pals don to illustrate the water cycle’s stages—solid, liquid, and “gassy.” Fairy chatter, gross-out humor (references to pee and sparkling snot), and star sign jokes (“I’m a Pisces, so I understand water”) play off Spires’s accessible explanations of the scientific method and water cycle, but the premise feels forced—a STEM agenda dropped into fairyland. Twee digital illustrations depict a multicultural array of fairies fluttering in stylized woodlands. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)