Pip’s Secret Door by Fiona Lowry – The Strawberry Post
A lovely and magical chapter book for children about a girl who believes in fairies and wants to prove to her brother they are real, but what will happen when they venture into the woods?
About Pip’s Secret Door
Title: Pip’s Secret Door (The Fairy Woods #1)
Author: Fiona Lowry
Illustrator: Oshadi Sandareka
Publisher: Three Geese and a Gander
Genre: Young children’s/chapter book fiction, Fantasy
Book format reviewed: Paperback
Sweet Strawberries: 
Description: Some stories have been waiting a very long time to be rediscovered…
Faith believes in faries. Harris is not so sure.
When the siblings discover a tiny red door hidden in the bark of an old oak tree, everything begins to change.
A magical world full of wonder draws the children in. The more time Faith and Harris spend there and get to know a very special fairy, they begin to wonder whether the Fairy Woods has been a part of their story all along.
*Free copy provided by author for review…
My review and thoughts on Pip’s Secret Door
This is a lovely story helping kids to be creative and use their imagination. Faith and her younger brother Harris are enjoying the school summer holidays with Faith making something while Harris draws. Faith is making a fairy trap, she wants to prove that fairies are real, but when Harris points out that the trap might upset or scare a fairy, Faith decides to do something else instead.
I enjoyed this story from the start with Faith believing that fairies are real while her brother Harris is skeptical. As the two spend a day in the woods though, they soon spot a tree with a small hole at the bottom, one that looks like an entrance for a fairy. Despite Harris being unsure if the tree houses a fairy inside, Faith believes it and encourages her brother to help her make something special for the fairy. I love what happens as the children also leave a note behind which they soon discover is answered to the following day. I won’t reveal any more of the story but as things progress the kids have a magical experience, discovering more about fairies and in particular a fairy called Pip.
The book is filled with some lovely illustrations in black, white and grey on some of the pages. These pictures really add to the magic of the story and I love how they show how lovely the tree looks as Faith and Harris work on creating things and especially later when it looks more magical. The story leads to a good ending but a more abrupt one than I expected, however it is still a good ending and leads well into a future book in the series which I’m already keen to read.
The back of the book has some mini missions for kids to do if they want which includes writing a letter to Pip, drawing some pictures and imagining and creating a fairy garden amongst other things. I love these tasks which are all introduced by Pip as they really encourage kids to use their imagination and believe in some magic too. Overall a lovely magical tale and a good first book in the Fairy Woods series.
Buy Pip’s Secret Door
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About the author Fiona Lowry
Fiona Lowry is a Scottish children’s author based in Perthshire. Her stories nurture confidence, kindness, and belief in what is possible. Through books, school visits, and family resources, she supports children in developing imagination and emotional awareness.
This is her first early chapter book and the beginning of The Fairy Woods series.
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-Thanks to the author for a chance to be a part of this blog tour (apologies for the delay)! 🙂
Other books by Fiona Lowry
-Read review – The Little Hearts, Big Feelings Kit by Fiona Lowry
-Read review – Mousey Mornings by Fiona Lowry & Oshadi Sandareka
-Read review – Franco and the Green Light Fairy by Fiona Lowry & Johanna Bruyer
What do you think of this book? Do you or did you as a child believe in fairies? Let me know what you think in the comments below 🙂
