Combining the humorous, the magical and the mundane, Graham (Max; Benny) creates another warm, sweet-natured picture book. As Annabelle plays alongside the fence near her family's apartment building, she hears something bounce down from the sky. Upon investigation, Annabelle meets Jethro Byrd, "a boy as big as her finger," and his family, all of whom happen to be fairies. Annabelle invites the Byrds to tea, with the full support of her parents. As the Byrds enjoy cakes and chamomile tea and entertain with song and dance, Annabelle and her brother, Baby Sam, are delighted; their mother and father oblivious. The parents earnestly pretend to see the Byrds, but, as one fairy tells Annabelle, grown-ups "[don't] have time for fairies." Graham's not-too-subtle message about slowing down to enjoy the small wonders of life will resonate with children and adults alike. His ink-and-watercolor paintings easily shift from human to fairy scale and back. The winged Byrds, wearing contemporary clothes and traveling in a flying ice-cream truck, suggest a wide and welcoming fantasy world. Ages 4-7. (June)
