Talking About Fairy Science With Ashley Spires

Hey readers,

We caught up with illustrator and author Ashley Spires to talk about her new book, Fairy Science.

The story is about a fairy scientist named Esther who doesn’t believe in magic. Read on to learn more about the book and Ashley’s inspiration behind it!

What was your favorite thing about working on this book?

I’ve been wanting to do a book about fairies for years now! So finally getting to draw the world of pixies was so much fun. Their wildly-coloured hair, sparkly wings, and even the wild plants in the background were such a delightful change from my other projects. Also, I loved getting to add so many little details to the illustrations. Fairyland is all about the details, so I tried to add lots of tiny things that kids can discover over multiple readings.

Esther is such a funny and sweet character. What inspired you to write about a fairy who doesn’t believe in magic?

I have always been drawn to characters who see the world differently from those around them. As I mentioned, I had been playing around with stories about fairies for years, but nothing seemed to stick. There are so many fairy stories and I wanted to create something different. I couldn’t think of anything more different than a fairy who doesn’t believe in magic, and the story took off from there.

What was your favourite fairytale growing up?

I was addicted to Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes. I’ve always loved fairytales that are twisted and unexpected. His retelling of Little Red Riding Hood is beyond brilliant.

If you could make a scientific discovery that could change the world, what would it be?

Teleportation. It would solve so many problems! No more pollution and traffic jams, and world travel in the blink of an eye without motion sickness? Count me in!

Thanks so much, Ashley!

Readers, you can find out more about Fairy Science by clicking here.

-Jenna, chirpblog@owlkids.com