Fans, believers and many little people dressed as fairies gathered for the launch of author Susie Spikol’s newest book, “The Book of Fairies,” Tuesday evening at the Harris Center for Conservation Education in Hancock. Illustrated by Renia Metallinou, “Fairies,” Spikol’s third book, explores “where magic and nature meet.”
“You may wonder why a naturalist is writing a book about fairies; it may seem a little far afield. But I am here tonight to remind you that fairies, across time, and across all cultures, have consistently been shown as protectors of the natural world; they are the original wild protectors,” Spikol said.
“The Book of Fairies” is available now at https://susiespikol.com/, at local bookstores and through online book retailers.
Spikol, a professional naturalist and educator, has taught generations of Monadnock region children about nature through her work at the Harris Center for Conservation Education. While her work with children usually focuses on science, “Fairies” is rooted in Spikol’s childhood fascination with the magical beings of story and myth.
“I’ve really been writing this book since I was 8 years old; I’ve been working on it for 49 years,” Spikol told the crowd. “This book is closest to my heart.”
Spikol shared childhood photos of herself, including one of herself wrapped in a blanket to simulate fairy wings.
“I used to see bubbles and the little rainbows in them, and I used to think, how did they get in there? So I wrote a story about ‘Bubblinis,” the fairies inside bubbles,” Spikol said. “I’ve been creating these stories my whole life.”
Spikol said she has also been inspired by decades of working with children, by their curiosity, their wonder and their humor.
“It’s because of getting to work with children that I am full of all these wild stories,” she said.
“Fairies” includes folklore, tips for finding fairies and a compendium of the four varieties of fairies: earth, air, water and fire fairies—from legendary creature such as fae, brownies, pixies and naiads, to fairies from Spikol’s own imaginations, such as the Bubblinis and Fluffinflies.
The Book of Fairies is the second in Spikol’s “Forest Magic” series, following “Forest Magic For Kids,” which includes more than 50 activities to engage children’s imaginations and curiosity about nature.
Spikol is already working on the third book in the series, which will explore the magic of woodland potions and concoctions.
Spikol is also the author “The Animal Adventurer’s Guide: How to Prowl for Owls, Make Snail Slime, and Catch a Frog Bare-Handed,” which came out in 2022 and won a National Parenting Products award. The book contains activities for children and adults and an includes fascinating facts and information animals, plants and insects.
Spikol will read from “The Book of Fairies” and sign books on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 11 a.m. at The Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough. For information, visit toadbooks.com/event/2025-10-27/author-susie-spikol-read-book-fairies.
Matt Patterson and Sy Montgomery release “The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle”
Matt Patterson of New Ipswich, an award-winning wildlife illustrator, and Sy Montgomery of Hancock, the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books about nature, have released “The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle,” a children’s book which tells the story of Fire Chief, a snapping turtle who recovers from a terrible injury after being hit by a car.
“True and Lucky Life” is available through Patterson’s website at mpattersonart.com/new-book, in bookstores and through online booksellers.
“Fire Chief’s story is a really uplifting story, and it’s very compelling. We thought we should make a book out of this story because it’s very positive; it’s a story we thought everyone could really use right now,” Patterson said.
The book traces Fire Chief’s life story, from his hatching near a fire station pond in Massachusetts–where firefighters gave the snapping turtle his name–through his injury, his rehabilitation, and his new life in a pond dug just for him in Patterson’s back yard in New Ipswich.
“It’s funny, because firefighters are obviously not afraid of much, but they were a little afraid of this big snapping turtle,” Patterson said. “They were very fond of Fire Chief, and every year, they used to watch him cross the road, from one pond to another, to hibernate. But when he got hit, they were a little nervous to go after him, so they called the turtle rescue.”
A longer version the story, written for adults, is included in “Of Time, Turtles and Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell,” which documents Patterson and Montgomery’s three years volunteering with a New England turtle rescue organizations, where they met Fire Chief and learned his story.
Patterson, who grew up exploring the woods of New Ipswich, was inspired by his late father, David, a biology teacher. The two collaborated on “Freshwater Fish of the Northeast,” which the elder Patterson wrote and Matt illustrated. Patterson has always been passionate about animals, especially reptiles and fish.
“Right now I have six turtles,” he said. “They live forever if we leave them alone.”
Patterson and Montgomery also collaborated on “The Book of Turtles,” a picture book which won seven national awards.
“Everyone is familiar with turtles, but there are just so many amazing facts about them that nobody knows,” Patterson said. “There are turtles who can sprint 15 miles an hour. There is a turtle whose shell glows in the dark; there are some who can climb trees.”
Patterson and Montgomery have more collaborations in the works, including a book about caterpillars.
“Caterpillars are another animal people may think they know about, but they are just fascinating, and they actually drive the whole ecosystem,” Patterson said. “There is just no end to amazing stories in nature.”
For information about Patterson, visit mpattersonart.com.