Care and Feeding of Sprites

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.

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