In stories, songs, and poems, fairies have lived tantalizingly close to human folk for centuries. Unpredictable and elusive, they've brought luck and done harm, while people have longed for a glimpse of their magical world. In his illustrations for this rich and varied collection, Michael Hague, one of America's most beloved painters of fantasy, creates a fabled world that belongs to the fairies. There is the lost flower fairy Thumbelina, the cruel and clever goblins of Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market, " and the invisible creatures of James Barrie's "Lock-out Time." Readers will also meet a helpful brownie, a girl with an unlucky name, and two elves who act like playground bullies Readers will find themselves transported to fairyland as they read these delightful works and savor the mesmerizing full-color and black-and-white illustrations. Michael Hague's art has never been so enchanting.