Deena the Diwali Fairy: The Festival Fairies (Rainbow Magic)

My youngest daughter (who loves the Rainbow Fairy book series) was so excited to get this book as she has been studying what Diwali is in her primary school.Honestly, the sense of glee as we read, the beaming smile and almost shaking with excitement as she spotted the things associated with Diwali was amazing. The little lights that they'd made at school, the "Rangoli patterns" (which she screamed out as she saw them in an illustration), was just fantastic.This fairy book follows our two protagonists again, Kirsty Tate and Rachel Walker, as they encounter Deena the Diwali fairy and help her find her magical Diya and defeat the Goblins and Jack Frost who is up to no good again.There are some Diwali related things/words that I had to look up that I didn't know about but that's down to my ignorance rather than the book being complicated and it was fun, as we did that together.She loves these books and this Festival series is a great idea.

If you have come across the 'Flower Fairies' series before, this will not be of a surprise. It follows the same story and format as all the other books in the series (and there are hundreds!) with recognisable characters and the ever-present villain of Jack Frost.The chapters in this book are really short and the book itself is under 100 pages. With plenty of illustrations and big font, this is ideal for early, independent readers. This is much like the rest of the series. However, there are some tricky words in this book which I think makes it more complicated than others out there. Therefore, if you are starting the series for the first time with this novel, I would recommend following it up with a more simpler tale.However, I do love what Meadows has done here. Through this story, readers will learn about the traditions of Diwali. I think it is a great idea and it is simply explained with key words, although appearing frequently, illustrated and defined within the narrative. This is the first of the 'Festival' series and the remainder of the books explore Eid, Hanukkah and Buddha Day. Ideal for learning about different cultures and traditions, this mini series in the Fairy books means that young readers can find out more but in a setting they will probably enjoy - fairies!The story itself is all about the fairies preventing Jack Frost from stealing the festivals to make a celebration all about himself. Good prevails in this story and it ends with Rachel and Kirsty expecting to save the day for the rest of the festivals throughout the coming year. I think if your child enjoys this one, then I would recommend following it up with the rest of this mini series.I do like this series and my children love the stories. I happily read these at bedtime and my daughters have a go at reading them too. This book is trickier than the rest but I think the learning behind the story is really important. A great idea for a fairy book with a difference.

My daughter loves the Rainbow Magic books, and this is a great one to add to the collection.As usual, it's easy to read and informative. The chapters are not too long, and encourage solo reading.