The Blind Fairy

Fanciful, witty illustrations chronicle the transformation of a blind fairy whose perception and power are restored in this original tale. Pale and thin to the point of illness and dressed in white with a train that trails for miles behind her, the fairy waits in her decrepit castle for visitors who never come. Malevolent dwarves, posing as her former servants, have overtaken her home and lie to her about its condition. One day, the dwarves play a trick on her that leads the blind fairy out of the palace. In a beautiful pastoral scene, her veil blowing in the breeze, the fairy meets an old woman who helps her to see again: ""If you hadn't forgotten you possessed the powers of a fairy, you would never have become blind,"" says the woman. Swiss writer Schar keeps the story enigmatic; readers never learn exactly what the fairy's powers are, why she forgot them, nor how the old woman knows so much about her. Yet the message is clear: the fairy has to become conscious of her plight before she can reclaim her power. Gukova's dramatic pastels create a gothic atmosphere; she contrasts the dark shadows of the dwarves and castle with the pearly, effervescent whites of the fairy. As she moves through the castle, the fairy's veil seems to commingle with the clouds above and winding stream below, and the dramatic end she devises for the dwarves will have readers cheering. A feast for the eyes. Ages 5-8. (Nov.)