Cover Image: How to Catch a Garden Fairy

How to Catch a Garden Fairy

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Member Reviews

I have a five-year-old and a seven-year-old, and when I asked my oldest if she wanted to try reviewing a book, the answer was a resounding "yes!".

Gracie's thoughts: I really liked the pictures. I liked how the kids set up traps to try and catch the garden fairy without hurting it. I would use a tea party trap if I was trying to catch a fairy. The only thing I didn't like is that we never got to see the fairy's face! (This is a common complaint from her in the "How to Catch a..." books, but I like that it's left to the imagination!)

When we later saw the book at her school's book fair she said, "Mom! We have to get that book!" Thanks for a fun book that helps me connect with my kids!
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My kids loved this one! They thought it was fun and kept them engaged throughout the story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the free ARC
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The kids in storytime LOVE the "how to catch a..." books so this one will be a wonderful addition to my storytime rotation!
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Sweet story with gorgeous illustrations.  Follow the garden fairy!  Wonderful relaxing bedtime story.  Highly recommend this children’s book.
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A quick and fun read perfect for bedtime in spring! The rhyme was a little off, but not enough for the kids to notice.

Kids reviews:

5: I love it over outer space! My favorite part is when they try to catch the fairy in the butterfly dance party. 

9: My favorite was the pictures, especially the first one with the rocky water feature.
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How to Catch a Garden Fairy by Alice Walstead is a delightful and charming children's book that takes readers on an enchanted adventure through a magical garden. The story follows the Catch Club Kids as they stumble upon a trail of glitter and discover the entrance to the garden. Hoping to find the Garden Fairy and learn about her magical realm, they set off on a whirlwind adventure that is filled with laughs, surprises, and plenty of STEAM traps.

The book is written in a fun and engaging way, making it perfect for children aged 4-10. The story is accompanied by beautiful and colorful illustrations that capture the magic and wonder of the garden. The author's creativity and imagination shine through in the various traps and plans that the Catch Club Kids come up with to catch the Garden Fairy.

What sets this book apart from others in its genre is its focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) concepts. The author has cleverly woven these into the story, making it an excellent educational resource for parents and educators. The book is also a great way to encourage children to be creative, curious, and adventurous.

Overall, How to Catch a Garden Fairy is a delightful read that children will love. It is a perfect classroom, summertime, or bedtime read-aloud, Easter basket stuffer, and graduation or birthday gift. It is a fun and educational book that is sure to spark the imagination of young readers and leave them wanting more.
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Cute and sweet and I enjoyed the fact that Walstead has kept up with the rhyming theme. The Garden Fairy seems too trusting of the children though, and while I haven't read all of Walstead's How to Catch books, it just didn't seem to fit the usual theme?
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I had a lot of fun reading this book. These kids hoped to catch a magical being, but it proved to be smarter than they thought it would be. Along the way they ran into some stunning creatures, all of them happy to see these kids and eager to play with them. It was moments like this that gave the fairy all the time they needed to stay hidden from these kids. As this story comes to a close these kids had a wonderful day that they won’t soon forget.
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How to Catch a Garden Fairy was a winner with my granddaughter, mainly because of all the wonderful things and friends the Fairy had. Once again, the How to Catch kids are trying to catch someone, this time a garden fairy. They make their way to a secret garden in spring and see a lot of evidence that there is a garden fairy living there. They come up with some rather interesting traps, but she always manages to avoid escape. Throughout the story we see her friend the garden gnome, a unicorn, colorful zebras and other fairies. As the sun sets, the kids have to go home and she sends her friends to make sure they get there safely.

As with the other books, there is some humor, some science (various traps), lots of sweetness, cooperation and adventure. My granddaughter was most interested in this story, but the others enjoyed seeing what the kids came up with and why it didn't work. For me, this was another sweet story with good messages and amazing illustrations. They were magical and really gave off a fairy and unicorn feel. As I read this aloud, I still struggled with cadence, stumbling over some of the quatrains. Overall, another good story.
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What a wonderful addition to the series! Children try to set up traps to catch a fairy while the garden fairy goes about her day. It is told from the perspective of the garden fairy as she has tea with the tooth fairy, walks her unicorn, and grants wishes. Much of the children’s perspective is told through the illustrations. Each page is very busy with lots of story for young ones to look at and describe. It is so much fun!
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Cute graphics, a fun game of trying to catch the fairy. It’s bright and fun. Perfect for kiddos. Thanks to net galley for the arc. I always love this authors stories and how we can find the characters the kids are trying to catch on every page
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A fun new instalment to the “How To Catch” series by Adam Wallace. Adventure with the kids as they create a fabulous house for the fairies, while coming across many of the other characters they have met in previous books in the series. This book is a fun read for Storytime at the library, and would easily branch into a discussion about what the kids might do to catch a fairy. After reading the story, kids would be able to draw pictures of what they imagined and they could do a fairy garden activity. I recommend the book for anyone looking to entertain 6 and younger.
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Follows the same rhythm as the others in the series with cute illustrations to go along. No real surprises but the kids will love it!
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I was excited to see a spring time addition for the "how to catch" series. The illustrations are bright, whimsical and exactly what you would be looking for to add to a spring bookshelf.

Although the concept of this book was great and the illustrations were beautiful... the story did not come across well.. I was so confused because the rhyming verse did not flow well at all.
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We love this series of books!  Another super cute story with great illustrations.  My daughter always wants these whenever she sees them on her Scholastic forms or at the library.  We both enjoy reading them.
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What a cute children’s book. I am new to the ‘How to Catch’ series and very much enjoyed this one. The illustrations are bright and cheerful and the story will capture a child’s imagination. I can imagine after reading this that children will be dreaming of catching a garden fairy.
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These books are both from the “How To Catch” series – there are 25 of them now! These bright and fun picture books are written for kids from 4 to 8 years old and are about 40 pages each. This whole series is great fun and I’m confident your young readers will love them.

• This book is pretty typical of the other books in the series. Children are trying to catch a garden fairy with elaborate traps or incentives. This book is told from the garden fairy’s POV which I thought was cute (other ones I have read were from the perspective of the children). Your kids will want to try to trap fairies themselves after reading this book.

• The books are written in verse and the illustrations are amazing.

Thank you @NetGalley and @SourceBooksKids for an eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
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I read this with the kids and they were absolutely in love from page one. The illustrations were very cute and drew you into the store. A favorite feature was the garden fairy's face stayed hidden throughout the book, allowing the family to use their imagination to fill it in however they wished. We had a fun craft time after reading with drawing our own fairy that we thought might be the MC.

The only thing we weren't a fan of was the comment about the children touching the fairy and it disappearing. It had the younger children worried that the kids might not be aware and accidentally hurt the MC or, worse, they DO know and are still trying to catch the MC knowing what would happen.

Truthfully, this whole series is quite adorable. I would just suggest having a discussion to alleviate any anxieties like mentioned above.
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A gorgeous tale with rhyming words and magic all around. The illustrations were bright and colourful and it was a delight to read to my little one. Who wouldn't love a tale with fairy's unicorns and mermaids?!
Thanks for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
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How to Catch a Garden Fairy is the perfect addition to this cute children’s series. My boys love reading How to Catch a Gingerbread Man and this one is just as cute! The illustrations are beautiful as well.
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