Care and Feeding of Sprites [Hardcover]

I have fond memories of growing up reading various Flower Fairy books by Cicely Mary Barker as a child. Remember the Flower Fairies? The books were small child-sized creations containing intricate and elaborate illustrations of fairy children wearing wings and a variety of pedals, berries, and leaves. A bit short on text, those books kept me enchanted for hours (time that was intended to be used for napping). Now I am old, still unable to nap, and just as enchanted by realistic looking magical critters with wings as I ever was. Like most sane members of humanity, I was charmed by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black's remarkable, "Spiderwick Chronicles" and, like every child who has fallen in love with them, I am sad that there have only been five proper books. Oh sure, there was, "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide To the Fantastical World Around You", but that was more clever ephemera than any kind of narrative continuity. So using my admittedly limited definition, "Care and Feeding of Sprites" is not a real book either. It does include a little information about what some of the Grace clan members are up to today, but by and large it comes off more as an incredibly life-like and believable How-To guide on sprite maintenance. By the time you're halfway through the first page, however, you simply do not care.

Divided into fifteen sections, "Care and Feeding of Sprites" put together a variety of information so as to inform and aid those lovers of these unique little pets. Meticulously illustrated to even the minutest detail, Black and DiTerlizzi give readers an up close and personal look at sprite life. Everything from "Obtaining Your Sprite" to "Housing Your Sprite" to the eye-opening, "What Is Not a Sprite" offers newbie sprite owners just the kinds of tips and tricks they'll need to keep these elusive little creatures in check. As it concludes with the Mission Statement of The Spiderwick International Sprite League, those who read the book cover to cover will gain a full appreciation for the rewards that come with being the right kind of sprite owner.

And the pictures? Oh the pictures. Ooooooh the pictures. First of all, I'd like to credit the team of DiTerlizzi and Black for realizing something that only a few truly clever marketing whizzes are apparently aware of; the more realistic a fantasy book feels, the more kids will adore it. Why do you think Ernest Drake's "Dragonology" sells so well in the stores, eh? It is, to my mind, part of the reason for Tolkein's popularity. Create your own language and watch your fans multiply accordingly. The authors of this particular guide nail down right from the start just how realistic they want this book to be and then play along accordingly. As such, the first two pages are more key and definition of symbols than anything else. Latin names, details of a "distinguishing physical feature" or two, and even body height in millimeters are accounted for. Then you've symbols for the sprites' preferred habitat, primary locomotion, general disposition, and additional traits (explaining whether or not they are prone to steal infants, sing, or merely think they can sing). Got all that? Good, because that's when Mr. DiTerlizzi really gets to work. We get front views, side views, and elaborate explanations of anatomy. As the book progresses, inserts display how one can determine sprite gender (answer: "Your best means is asking. Politely."). And in the illustrator's watercolors come magical creatures of ever color, shape, size, and mannerism. The man is at his best here.

A person might be fooled into believing that a guide book of this sort would be wholly reliant on DiTerlizzi's pretty pretty pictures. A person would be askew in their assumptions. Not to say that Mr. DiTerlizzi (a.k.a. the hardest working man in kidlit) doesn't bend over backwards to meld together human, insect, and vegetation in a wholly convincing manner. It's just that alongside his pics are Holly Black's funny and, dare I say, well-researched instructions. I can only assume that the woman in question went out, found numerous pet caring guides (perhaps regarding rare or exotic species) and studied them to the hilt before writing this book. Always accepting the natural professional tone adapted for this book, Black manages to balance "interesting" with "oddly informative" alongside a healthy smattering of "funny". There are words of caution that inform readers about the dangers of buying your sprite through online dealers, why a dollhouse is not ideal housing for sprites, and how to give your sprite the optimum in entertainment. The warnings are funny. The tips are funny. And "The Many Moods of Your Sprite" is so good that you're really going to have to see it for yourself to appreciate it.

Of course, Black and DiTerlizzi's book isn't the first of its kind. It's just the best at what it does. I well remember Terry Gilliam's, Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book, in all its raucous grotesque one-joke glee. "Care and Feeding of Sprites" is reminiscent of that, but far better in the end. Gee whiz, how to best convince you that your kids might actually learn something from this book? Ah... how about this: they'll willingly learn terms like thorax, tympana, and sepals without so much as a sigh. It's just a sweet ride through and through. An oddly informative amusing text with more intelligence wrapped in it than it has any right to contain. Even if you've never read a single "Spiderwick" book in your life but you still harbor a sweet spot for well-thought out fantasy lit, you cannot go wrong with this book.

Since the publication of the five-part "Spiderwick Chronicles" there have been three "spin-off" publications: "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You" (a copy of the book that featured so heavily in the Chronicles themselves), "A Notebook for Fantastical Observations", designed for readers themselves to fill out, and this, "The Care and Feeding of Sprites". If you can only choose one of them, then the pick of the litter is undoubtedly the Field Guide, a stunning collection of illustrations and information that (in my opinion) is even better than the five books on which it is based.

But as a second choice "Care and Feeding of Sprites" is a wonderful addition to any growing Spiderwick library - though perhaps a bit pricey at this stage for such a relatively slim volume. Set out as a proper "how to" guide to raise and care for the diminutive little creatures known as sprites, (and endorsed by the International Sprite League, of course, visitable online) Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black - through the instruction of the Grace children, naturally - have put together another beautifully created and bound book.

Divided into fifteen segments, such as "Anatomy of a Sprite", "The Many Moods of Your Sprite" and "What's Not a Sprite", Black provides the informative, detailed and often hilarious commentary on how one should look after your own sprite. But as always, the true appeal of any Spiderwick book lies with DiTerlizzi's stunning illustrations. Each scientific portrait of the sprites comes complete with a key on its behaviour, Latin name, details on the wings and legs, and is rendered in beautiful colour. Each one on its glossy page could be framed and hung on the wall - they're simply that beautiful.

But the real reason I thank these collaborators is due to their success in bringing the old lore of the faerie-folk back into the public eye, following in the worthy footsteps of Alan Lee, Jim Henson, Brian Froud and Terri Windling, among others. Far from the sweetie-cuteness of the portrayal of "fairies" that began in the Victorian era and got worse as the century wore on, Black and DiTerlizzi bring back the dark side of the faerie world - and don't shy from sharing it with children. More please!

It's tough to follow up a book like Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide with, well, anything. So it's inevitable that this book comes up a bit short compared to that lush book, stuffed full of amazing art in multiple media and wildly imaginative text.

That said, the Care and Feeding of Sprites has a more modest goal -- to be a fantasy version of a real world pet care guide -- and succeeds at it wonderfully. Writer Holly Black shouldered a lot of the burden with the Spiderwick Chronicles previously, but in Sprites, the book really has to succeed or fail based on Tony DiTerlizzi's art. (Black's contributions are strong, but maintaining the mock-serious tone really makes her work a quiet pleasure.)

DiTerlizzi's sprites run the gamut of shapes and sizes, and all feel as though they could spring from a fantasy world ecology. Plants, insects and even frogs all serve as sources of inspiration and the end results all feel very right.

Part of the book's high price tag is the heavy glow-in-the-dark poster, which also serves as the book's cover. Honestly, I would have rather this been a separate product -- I'm not sure how well the posters will hold up to serving as a cover on the way to a child's wall -- but it's gorgeous.

I would recommend this to someone who already owns the Spiderwick Chronicles or Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide, which are better books. But this is a fun companion piece for those looking for more insights into the fantastical world around them.