True story: I just got back from Fairyland. Just ask my three (and a half!) year-old nibling. I’ve been an avid reader of fantasy since childhood. So, it shouldn’t have surprised me that Fairyland had a library.* It also shouldn’t have surprised me that the library was the most magical thing there. Which may seem subjective. But, following the logic of the fantasy genre, I would argue that we feel magic—not measure it.
Alice’s Reading Room
We encountered Fairlyand’s library, officially “Alice’s Reading Room,” on our way to the puppet theater. The wooden structure greeted us with a sign that said to find a comfy spot around the park to read.
The sign also said to return books to the basket inside for reshelving. I couldn’t resist reshelving the books that filled the basket less than four hours after the park had opened for the day. Another (hand-painted) sign made reshelving easy. The books were organized into four color-coded categories: board books for the littlest ones, picture books that could be read together in about 15 minutes, longer picture books, and (graphic) novels for independent readers.
I’ll admit my reshelving wasn’t selfless. It meant browsing the hundreds of books and selecting titles for empty displays. Titles that—like the collection as a whole—mirrored the diversity of the East Bay, where Fairyland is located. (A land far, far away from my home in Florida, the book-banning capital of the U.S.A.) This same diversity was reflected in the storybook characters brought to life throughout Fairyland, which pre-dates Disneyland.
Plátanos Go with Everything
After the Magic Teakettle puppet show, my nibling and her parents returned to the library to read a book. Her mom’s eyes went right to Plátanos Go With Everything, which I had placed on display with them in mind. (Her parents, both Cuban American, grew up Miami, Florida. Over more than two decades of friendship, I have lost count of the times we have sat around a table eating plátanos together.) And this was what made it so magical: I got to witness my childhood best friend share this book with her daughter.
Fantasy readers often talk about the “magic system.” In this story, the library system is the magic system. 📚🧚
You can help keep the magic alive in Alice’s Reading Room by donating books through Fairyland’s gift registry with their local bookstore, East Bay Booksellers.
*Admittedly, the examples of fantasy books that feature libraries that are freshest in my mind—like Callie Hart’s Fae & Alchemy series—are decidedly not children’s books and technically fall under the genre of romantasy.