The Best Children’s Books About Fairies to Explore Magical Worlds

Fairy folklore has existed throughout many generations. Some believe in fairies while others appreciate the tradition and stories that get passed on. Many times, fairy stories serve to teach an important lesson. For children, it’s especially important that the lessons they learn be wrapped in a fun story they can follow. When lessons are intertwined with a silly story and lots of imaginative, magical creatures, it’s more likely to stick. This is where children’s books about fairies come in.

We found the best fairy books for kids and highlight them in the list below. The first is a book that introduces children to all the magic that exists in the world of fairies. The second book is a story about a young girl who goes out to find some backyard fairies. We can’t leave out the tooth fairy or the freckle fairy, so those are included in the list too. We include a nice bedtime story and a coloring book to keep your kiddos entertained when they’re not reading. The last book on this list is a feel-good tale about two fairy best friends and a big birthday surprise.

A-Z Animals Top Picks for Children’s Books About Fairies

#1 Best Overall: Magical World of Fairies by Federica Magrin (Author), Claudia Brodin (Illustrator)

The best overall children’s book about fairies is Magical World of Fairies by Federica Magrin (Author) and Claudia Brodin (Illustrator).

This is a hardcover book that takes children on an exploration of all the wonders of nature with three mesmerizing fairies. They present an enchanting world in the woodland realm and explain what being a fairy is like. The three whimsical fairies’ names are Sky, Ivy, and Leah. Throughout the pages of this book, kiddos learn about their fairy lives. Children get to explore the captivating world of nature as depicted in all of the beautiful illustrations.

This wonderful story explores animals, plants, and fairies with a very easy-to-understand style complemented by gorgeous pastel-colored illustrations. Your child gets to explore the secret language of flowers and also learns how caterpillars become butterflies. They explore how bees create honey and how snowflakes and rainbows form. There are so many wonders in the natural world and this book manages to capture these little miracles in an enchanting and educational way!

Pros and Cons of Magical World of Fairies by Federica Magrin (Author) and Claudia Brodin (Illustrator)

Best Overall

Magical World of Fairies

• 40 pages.
• Recommended for children ages 6 and older.
• A story exploring fairies and nature with pastel illustrations.

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2. Best Folklore-Inspired: Backyard Fairies by Phoebe Wahl

This best book inspired by folklore is Backyard Fairies by Phoebe Wahl.

This book explores the hidden world of fairies, sprites, and a few other magical creatures. The story follows a young girl who looks for fairies in her backyard and the woods beyond her backyard. She follows a couple of different clues and traces of magic as she moves forward in her adventure. The book is richly illustrated, and your kids uncover magical creatures on every page. Sometimes they’re hidden among the flowers and other times they’re nestled into trees and pebbles.

Your kid feels like they’re in on a little secret because they’re evident to your young reader but the little girl in the story keeps on searching for all of these magical creatures. She’s always just one step behind. In the end, however, she realizes magic exists all around! As much for the girl in the book and as other children like your little one! Even if it’s hidden in plain sight. Phoebe Wahl is an award-winning author and illustrator who has put together this marvelous work. It’s vibrant, multi-textured, and enchanting. It invites children into an imaginative and natural world.

The only drawback to this book is that it is quite short.

Pros and Cons of Backyard Fairies by Phoebe Wahl

Best Folklore-Inspired

Backyard Fairies

• 32 pages.
• Customers recommend this book for children ages 2 through 5.
• A story about a girl searching for fairies in her backyard.

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3. Best Tooth Fairy Book: How to Catch the Tooth Fairy by Adam Wallace (Author) and Andy Elkerton (Illustrator)

The best book about tooth fairies is How to Catch the Tooth Fairy by Adam Wallace (Author) and Andy Elkerton (Illustrator).

There are all sorts of fairies to explore including those that live in your backyard and those that gather children’s baby teeth. This book is available in Kindle, audio, hardcover, and paperback versions. This tooth fairy book is part of the best-selling ‘how to catch’ series that made the New York Times and USA Today best sellers list. It celebrates the story of the tooth fairy! Little ones can use this book to enjoy the special events of their lives when they start losing their baby teeth.

In the story, this tooth fairy has to escape some seriously determined children who want to catch the tooth fairy. It’s a zany story that is sure to bring lots of laughter into your home. The tooth fairy dodges a couple of traps, dental floss webs, some drool, and tons more in this bedtime story. It’s best suited for children between four and 10 and blends silly rhymes with some bright illustrations (and even some STEAM concepts).

Pros and Cons of How to Catch the Tooth Fairy by Adam Wallace (Author) and Andy Elkerton (Illustrator)

Best Tooth Fairy Book

How to Catch the Tooth Fairy

• 32 pages.
• Recommended for children ages 4 and older.
• Part of the How to Catch children's book series.

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4. Best for Coloring: Fairies Coloring Book by Simple is Good

The best coloring book in our opinion is Fairies Coloring Book by Simple is Good.

This coloring book contains lots of different fairy pictures your kids can bring to life with some fun colors. The paper is high-quality as well as the illustration. Each page is 8.5” x 11.” There are 40 unique drawings throughout this book and there’s also one blank page after every single illustration. This is done intentionally to avoid coloring stains. It’s recommended for kids between four and eight years old but of course, you can gift it to any child who enjoys coloring books. Some of the illustrations include fairies, unicorns, and princesses.

Customers rate this book 4.6 out of five stars. They love that the illustrations are detailed but not too complex. They also appreciate the variety because it includes princesses and also knights. Each page is unique, and the characters are fanciful and fun. Coloring within the lines is not a requirement so this book makes a perfect gift for any child, so long as they have crayons, colored pencils, markers, or whatever else they like to use to create their art.

Pros and Cons of Fairies Coloring Book by Simple is Good

Best for Coloring

Fairies Coloring Book

• 82 pages.
• Recommended for children ages 4 and up.
• Contains 40 coloring pages, plus a blank page between each.

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5. Best Bedtime Story: Good Night Fairies by Adam Gamble and Mark Jasper

Children love a good bedtime story and if your child loves fairies, Good Night Fairies by Adam Gamble and Mark Jasperis the perfect book to keep at their bedside.

It’s available in Kindle versions if that’s your preference; otherwise, it comes in a board book. It is about all types of fairies including flower fairies, pixies, glitter fairies, butterfly fairies, elf fairies, star fairies, and so many more. Young fairy lovers immediately take to this beautiful book that’s brimming with fairies of all different shapes and sizes. They get to discover various fairyland creatures which inspires their creativity, and that sense of wonder children have. This book is part of the ‘goodnight our world’ series, which includes hundreds of different titles that you can explore with your little ones.

Customers rate this board book 4.6 out of five stars. They see it as a cute introduction to fairies. It’s captivating for children and they can’t think of a better way to introduce babies and toddlers to this mystical world other than this cute little book. It’s your typical small format board book and it has some chunky pages and a high gloss finish. Customers love that it is just right for those tiny, curious hands. The book suggests that fairies are always present, always watching, and always a part of our lives whether we are keen on that or not. The book approaches this concept with benevolence, speaking of fairies being an integral part of the environment.

The only drawback to this book is that it is not very long and only contains a few sentences per page.

Pros and Cons of Good Night Fairies by Adam Gamble and Mark Jasper

Best Bedtime Story

Good Night Fairies

• 22 pages.
• Customers recommend this book for children ages 1 through 4.
• Part of the Good Night Our World series of children's books.

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6. Best for Beginner Readers: The Freckle Fairy by Bobbie Hinman

Beginner readers need a good place to start. The Freckle Fairy by Bobbie Hinman is a book for fairy lovers that helps children understand where freckles come from.

It’s a fictional story that highlights how the freckle fairy gives sleeping children kisses, leaving those tiny little freckles behind. Both boys and girls enjoy this silly story because it gives them a reason to be so very proud of their tiny freckles. The illustrations throughout are watercolor works of art and the text in the book rhymes. Read it out loud at bedtime or read it to your preschoolers at school. It’s great for babies and toddlers but can always be read by older children.

Pros and Cons of The Freckle Fairy by Bobbie Hinman

Best for Beginner Readers

The Freckle Fairy

• 36 pages.
• Recommended for children as young as 3.
• Rhyming perfect for beginning reader levels.

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7. Best Feel-Good Tale: The Fairies – Petal & Nettle and the Big Birthday Surprise by Kirstie Watson (Author) and Tilia Rand-Bell (Illustrator)

If you’re looking for a feel-good tale then we recommend The Fairies – Petal & Nettle and the Big Birthday Surprise by Kirstie Watson (Author) and Tilia Rand-Bell (Illustrator).

This next story is super cute! You can get it in Kindle, hardcover, and paperback formats. The story is about Petal and Nettle who are both fairies and best friends. Nettle’s birthday is coming up, so Petal decides to plan a very special birthday surprise for her. Instead of using magic, she decides that she’s going to take care of things by herself. She happens upon everything she needs for the special birthday surprise and since it’s all just lying around, she doesn’t think anyone will mind if she takes it all without asking. The story is a feel-good tale about friendship and forgiveness. It’s a very gentle reminder that it’s never a good idea to take things from others without first asking. The illustrations are bold and colorful and really bring the story to life for kiddos.

Unfortunately, some customers have reported that they received a damaged book where “some of the pages were printed poorly”.

Pros and Cons of The Fairies – Petal & Nettle and the Big Birthday Surprise by Kirstie Watson (Author) and Tilia Rand-Bell (Illustrator)

Best Feel-Good Tale

The Fairies - Petal & Nettle and the Big Birthday Surprise

• 36 pages.
• Recommended for children ages 3 through 6.
• A feel-good story about friendship and forgiveness.

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Criteria: What to Look For in Children’s Books About Fairies

Children love letting their imagination run wild and when you purchase children’s books about fairies, you help them explore even more magic that surrounds them. The most important factor when picking up a children’s book about fairies is the reading level. Some books are meant to be read to babies and toddlers and serve as a great first experience in the world of reading.

Other books incorporate more words and have a slightly more complex story that older children can appreciate. There are different types of fairies as well. We highlight a book above that’s all about finding backyard fairies. There is also a book that teaches about the tooth fairy and one that teaches about the freckle fairy. You get to pick which book is best to entice your child’s imagination and you can always pick up a good coloring book! What better activity is there than coloring after reading?