Graphic Novel Review - 'Avery and the Fairy Circle' by Rowan Kingsbury

Story spoilers ahead.

'Avery and the Fairy Circle' - there isn't much to it, but it is such a charming and gorgeously-illustrated little fairy comic, that I can't resist it.

Little Avery has just moved to a new home, and she becomes even littler when she goes out to explore the woods and accidently falls into a fairy circle, which shrinks her to the size of a moth. From there she meets a plant harvesting fairy kid named Birch, and they have a tiny adventure involving berries, licorice roots, trees, a bird, and a deer, and it ends with the the two of them attending a fairy village summer festival with Birch's family and people. Birch's Mama concocts a magic potion that will turn Avery back to her normal size, and she says farewell to the fairies, with a promise to return to the fairy circle next season, for her new friend Birch and her family. Human-sized again, and in the human world where barely any time has passed since she'd been gone, Avery returns home, as an ambitious herbalist and artist ready to record everything she's seen in her new book from her parents.

The comic is barely fifty pages long, but it is so sweet. The art is adorable, soft and colourful, and the story touches on themes of exploring environments, learning about and respecting nature, trying new things, being practical and creative, friendship, family, and community; messages which are vital for child readers to take to heart.

I swear Birch has two mums, even though it isn't explicitly stated what her one named Mama's relationship is to her female partner who lives and works in her family's house, and is always drawn to be very close to her. I wish the partner/second Mama was given a name, at least. And that a bit more of the fairy village culture was explored, along with its various inhabitants.

'Avery and the Fairy Circle' is perfect for beginner comic book readers. It's cute, it's wholesome, it's magical, it's imaginative, it's diverse (POC and disability rep, as we see one fairy in a wheelchair, and there's the more subtle LBGTQ+ rep), and it's as charming as a doe-eyed chinchilla with kitten ears in a kitchen garden.

It's a short cottagecore fantasy about fairies for kids. Like a short, classic Disney animated film, and a Studio Ghibli miniature feature.

It's like if Tinker Bell, Wisteria from 'The Sprite and the Gardener', and Aster from 'Aster and the Accidental Magic' had a baby, that was blessed by good fairies - meaning, the creations of K. O'Neill.

What whimsical, childlike fairy magic! There are pies and mushrooms in it, too!

I may never read any future instalments, but this lilliputian adventure on its own is hard not to dote on. Dewy, doe-eyed dote on, like a dope!

Final Score: 3.5/5