Prilla and the Butterfly Lie

(Disney Fairies)

by
Kitty Richards

illustrated by

Denise Shimabukuro

&

The Disney Storybook Artists

Random House, April 2007, 113 pp.
ISBN: 0-7364-2417-2

Genre: Early Chapter
Subgenres: Disney / Fairies
Reviewed: 4/22/2008

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

The Queen Speaks During Dinner

"Well," the queen said, "I am sure we'll have no problem getting volunteers to help with the butterfly herding until they are able to return to work. Would anyone like to pitch in?" She looked around hopefully.

An uncomfortable silence filled the tearoom. Some fairies studied their forks. Others examined their dinner plates very closely. No one would look up.

"No volunteers," said the queen. "This is indeed a problem. What are we to do?"

"I know!" said a voice. "There is a fairy who would be happy to help out. She loves butterflies."

The room began to buzz once more. Everyone wondered who the butterfly-loving fairy could be.

Prilla sank into her chair until her head was barely level with the table. She has completely forgotten about her butterfly lie.

"And who is this fairy?" Queen Clarion asked.

"It's Prilla!" said Nettle. "She told me she likes butterflies even better than caterpillars!"

Prilla stared at the tablecloth. Her glow turned orange as she blushed. She felt every fairy in the tearoom peering at her curiously.

Even the queen looked surprised. "Is this true, Prilla?"

Without looking up, Prilla spoke. "Yes, it's true," she said miserably. "I did tell Nettle that."

When Prilla raised her head, she found herself looking right at Vidia, who was directly across the room. Vidia rolled her eyes and shook her head. Prilla could just imagine what she was thinking--that that silly little fairy had gone and done it again!

Synopsis

In Pixie Hollow, the secret heart of Never Land, lives Prilla, the only mainland-visiting clapping-talent fairy. She is helping Nettle, a caterpillar-shearing-talent fairy, cut the hair off the caterpillars when she realizes that she doesn't want to do it anymore. Her real job is to visit the mainland and have children catch glimpses her so they don't forget that fairies really do exist. But, she has a hard time saying "No" to anyone that asks her to do a favor. Usually the favor entails her working with them everyday doing whatever job their talent has them do.

One day, she tells her friend, Nettle, that she loves butterflies. It is a lie as she has never worked with butterflies, but she didn't want to help Nettle with the caterpillar-shearing anymore. Realizing that helping everyone all the time, she has no time to do what she really loves, which is to visit the mainland so children can see her.

Later, during dinner, it is reported that all the butterfly herding fairies are sick with the fairy pox. When the queen needs someone to watch over the butterflies, Prilla has to do it because of the lie she told Nettle. As Prilla starts trying to the herd the butterflies, she finds out that although they are quite beautiful, they are pranksters. Finally, when she thinks that she scares a butterfly so badly that it dies, she turns to Vidia for some help.

Finally, she has to tell the queen that she lied about loving butterflies and that feels a shamed for doing so.

Prilla and the Butterfly Lie is another book in the Disney Fairies series. It is written by Kitty Richards and illustrated by Denise Shimabukuro & The Disney Storybook Artists. This series is intended for young readers aged 7 to 9.

Review

I'll tell you what, lying never solves any problem. In fact, you usually get into more trouble that you would have if you had told the truth. That is what the Disney Fairies book Prilla and the Butterfly Lie is all about.

Prilla has a had time saying "No" to any of her friends. Because she cannot say "No," she ends up telling a lie. Then she has to do something she doesn't want to do because her friends believed the lie. If she had only told Nettle the truth in the first place, she would not have had to try herding the troublesome butterflies. Then she could have been doing what she really wanted to do. But because she wanted to avoid conflict, she always did what her friends wanted her to do.

Prilla and the Butterfly Lie teaches children to stand up for what they believe in and to not tell lies. They will see how much trouble a fairy gets into because she lied and didn't stand up for what she wanted.

I really enjoyed this story by Kitty Richards and I found the artwork by Denise Shimabukuro & The Disney Storybook Artists to be spectacular.

Overall, Prilla and the Butterfly Lie is another excellent addition to the Disney Fairies series of early chapter books and should not be missed. If your daughter love Disney Fairies as much as mine do, you need to pick this book up.

I rated this book a 9 out of 10.