Contact: Mark Forman Tel: (603) 659-1300
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Switch Off the TV – Fairy Houses are Coming!

We all know how hard it is these days to tear kids away from the TV and video games. The children’s “Fairy Houses Series” by author/illustrator Tracy Kane, is magically doing just that!

What would happen if you built a house for the fairies to live in?
Would they come to visit?

This is the challenge. And all generations - kids, parents and grandparents - are eagerly heading outside and building these imaginative habitats for fairies to visit!

Suggested Guidelines

• Make your fairy house from pieces of nature, blending into it’s surroundings – making them almost hidden
• Don’t use artificial materials
• Don’t pick living materials – use fallen branches, dead leaves, pine cones, shells, feathers, etc.
• Respect nature and it’s creatures

Imagine

You build a special house made from pieces of nature for the fairies to visit, then what? You wait….. Chances are high that you will see Nature’s visitors first – such as grasshoppers, squirrels, frogs, or deer. The sheer fun of observing these special and friendly visitors to your house conveys the magic of nature’s daily wonders. These are the subtle messages woven throughout the “Fairy Houses Series”. Observe, be patient, and you will see a wonderful world dimension that is there every day, if you take the time to look. Of course, the fairies can come, and that’s where the imagination is left to soar. Did I imagine a fairy? Do they live in-between the things that we see?

A wave of creative activity sweeping the country

What appears to have started on a few small islands off the coast of Maine, is now sweeping the country! Due to the success of Tracy Kane’s critically acclaimed book FAIRY HOUSES, her new book FAIRY BOAT, and the companion multi award-winning video KRISTEN’S FAIRY HOUSE, word is getting out about this very unique and highly creative activity.

Kane stumbled across these small, unpretentious structures when visiting several islands off the coast of Maine . Apparently, visiting children and families have been building fairy houses for decades. She saw a young girl checking her house to see if the fairies had come to visit. The child’s excitement was contagious, and Kane started making one herself. “It was a combination of ingredients an artist finds irresistible – creativity, nature and a pinch of magic,” she recalls. By the time her first house was finished, the story about a girl who builds fairy houses was just beginning.

The Success is in the “Sharing”

Why is the “Fairy Houses Series” creating such a buzz among all ages? It’s mainly in the sharing. The concept of Fairy Houses can be shared in different ways:

• Building fairy houses is so much fun when kids team up and share with siblings, parents, and especially grandparents.
• Reading the books to a child during the day or at bedtime, are special times to share imaginations
• Viewing the video with friends, brothers, sisters, or the whole family!

The satisfaction of building unique habitats - alone or as a team - that may be lived in by creatures of the natural world or even a fairy family is a very special feeling!

And then there’s the “Quiet Time”

In this fast-paced world, the building of fairy houses presents special opportunities for a child to spend quite time, alone. Imagining, observing, creating, and connecting with Nature.

Any Time, Almost Anywhere

This is not just for special privileged kids or families. Fairy houses can be built just about anywhere, and it doesn’t cost a thing. Try parks, fields, beaches, vacant lots, or even your own back yard! Spring, Summer and Fall are good times to build, but you can even watch visitors to your fairy house throughout the Winter, especially if they are in your own garden!

Try it, and catch the buzz!

There’s only one way to find out how much fun building fairy houses can be, try it! Collect a few twigs, leaves, shells, feathers, and share the idea with a child. You may be quite amazed at the creative process at play. Who’s got time for TV anyway?

For more information about the “Fairy Houses Series” and Tracy Kane’s ventures, visit www.fairyhouses.com, write Light-Beams Publishing, 10 Toon Lane, Lee NH 03824, or call 800-397-7641.

The “Fairy Houses Series” consists of:

Fairy Houses picture book ISBN 0-9708104-5-8, $15.95, 40 pages, hardcover

Fairy Boat picture book ISBN 0-9708104-7-4, $15.95, 40 pages, hardcover

Kristen’s Fairy House video ISBN 0-9708104-1-5, $19.95, 40 mins., VHS

Available in children’s book, toy and gifts stores. Also through Baker & Taylor, Koen Book Distributing, Inc., Follett, Book Wholesalers and other distributors.

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Photographs are available, upon request.