Every book fairy has a wonderful story to share about why they love to read and how books have played a significant role in their lives. Today, we’ll love you to meet Alex and Lily, a lovely mother-daughter book fairy duo from Canterbury!
alex & lily’s Book Fairy Story
I was never big on reading as a child. I always exceeded reading tests at school, but I never enjoyed it. I’d rather listen to music or watch a film. Since having my own daughter nearly four years ago, my viewpoint has changed dramatically. Her enthusiasm for reading is infectious! With this though, we have accumulated what feels like the world’s biggest library in our little flat!
I love being able to share stories with Lily and I love it when she shares new stories with me from fairy tales to history books, so sharing our adventures with the Book Fairies was natural. We wanted to get some of our favourite adventures with some of the other wonderful people in our city.
I am a big history fan. I love learning about what has passed before us, how we have changed and evolved. Growing up and living in a city like Canterbury, you can’t help but feel that history is a part of you. Our history is one big story and decided to share a few of my favourite ones around the city.
Firstly, The Lady of Rivers by Philippa Gregory. This book is part of a series focused around the war of the roses and it brings to life the story of Jacquetta of Luxembourg, mother of Elizabeth Woodvile. They were two women who were rumoured to use witchcraft, especially Jacquetta. In Canterbury, we still have our famous ducking stool, used in the punishment of those tried of witchcraft on the middle ages. It seemed only appropriate that Jacquetta story could be discovered there.
My second choice was another Philippa Gregory book. This time, it was The Little House. It’s a dark story with a few plot twists and in some parts, you really question your thought track while reading it. It follows Ruth Cleary, a new mum who has a power struggle in a way with her very formal, traditional mother-in-law. While Ruth develops post-partum psychosis, events start to turn darker. As a young mum and suffer of Post Natal Depression, this book ignites a great talking point to get these post-natal issues talked about.
As for Lily, the Book Fairies is a great way of teaching her about the positivity of sharing. I asked her to pick two books that she really enjoyed and though other people would like to read too. She settled on Mr Small’s Big Adventure and The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin. She decided to leave Mr Small’s book in the park. Apparently, the park is full of big adventures that Mr Small may enjoy! As for Squirrel Nutkin, he was left by a shop display. When I asked Lily why, she simply said “He looks happy here”. You can’t really argue that!
Lily loved sharing the stories. When we got home, she started to look for more books that she could share. She also told her friends at school about it and she has started to share a lot more with other children.
If you have children, then becoming a book fairy is a great way to spend time together this summer. You can do it locally or on day trips out, it is the most fulfilling and versatile activity for the family.
Not a book fairy yet?
We bet people would love to find a book left by a book fairy where you live! Why not get some book fairy goodies here and start right away?