A Warning

As a parent and a librarian, I feel like I should issue a warning about an ill trend I have noticed amongst the young girls of Ketchikan: a predilection for never-ending book series about fairies. My daughter and I are currently beginning book #26 in the Rainbow Magic fairy series by Daisy Meadows. Along with the two protagonists - Kirsty and Rachel - we have restored color to Fairyland by finding the Rainbow Fairies (books 1-7), saved the world from wacky weather by returning the magic weather feathers to Doodle the Magic Weather Rooster (books 8-14), and replenished fairy magic in general by finding the seven crown jewels of the magic Fairy Crown (books 15-21). We are now rescuing the magic fairy pets from the evil goblins of mean Jack Frost. The most recent installment - Harriet the Hamster Fairy - promises to be just as riveting and enlivening a read as the previous 25 books. These books have been flying off the shelves and making the rounds amongst the elementary schools.
Goodness knows I'm all for reading to children and inspiring a love of books, but not only are there 6 more fairy books to plow through, but we have some new fairy stories coming down the pipeline: 5 volumes in the Disney Fairy set, 6 volumes in the Flower Fairie Friends set, and the My Secret Unicorn series (unicorns, fairies, whatever). Is your little girl too young for chapter books? Don't despair; we even have a brand new board book about a fairy! (The author is Gaby Goldsack).
I have tried Beverly Cleary, Laura Ingalls Wilder, E.B. White, Roald Dahl and C.S. Lewis - but to no avail. Fairies rule. So it is with a sinking heart that I pick up yet another formulaic fairy book at bedtime. At least I can temper my boredom with a good mother-daughter cuddle.