Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Written by Sue Whiting, Published by New Frontier 2009
This is a really fun, sparkly book, packed full of magic, music, candymakers, greedy kings, wicked guards, enough sugary confections to keep an army of dentists happy for years, and the occasional surprised camel. It is part of New Frontier's Music Box series, which aims to introduce children to famous pieces of classical music. You get the book, and a CD with the story read aloud and the piece of music that inspired the tale. The illustrations for Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy with pencil for the linework, and Photoshop for the colour. It's a lovely, lighthearted story, so I felt like a more upbeat cartoony style would work well for this book.
“Sheer delight...This absolutely gorgeous picture book is a treat as sweet as the lollies which adorn its pages. The story is delightfully reminiscent of the tale of the Elves and the Shoemaker and the illustrations are filled with colour and quirky characters.”
“Sarah Davis’s illustrations just pop off the page, full of character and fun, yet subtly underscoring the fairy tale setting. There are lots of lovely details for children to marvel over, like a King who sleeps with his teddy, the candymakers’ baby in various cute poses, and of course the fairy herself - an enchanting combination of sparkly magical creature and real little girl, with lollies in her tummy and wearing striped leg warmers.”
Extras
- See how I developed the Sugar Plum Fairy's character
- We launched the book at a sweet factory! Watch the lolly-making shenanigans here.
- Find out all about candy-making - recipes, the science of sugar, and more!
