For centuries, little folk have teased our imaginations, inviting kids and adults to explore life’s magical boundaries. Indeed, these unpredictable and unique beings exist among us, especially in wild or remote surroundings. If you are already a believer, then Sarah Glenn Marsh’s enchanting and stunning new “field guide” will enhance your fairy knowledge and improve your odds of experiencing different fairy types. You’ll learn to recognize fairy rings, houses, knots, offerings, special stones and classic signature clues, like four-leaf clovers.

If you don’t yet believe in the fae, surely Marsh’s book will forever convince you of their true presence and guide you toward extraordinary encounters.

How to Spot a Fairy identifies 50 different types of fairy spirits and includes information about each one’s respective likes, dislikes, habits, habitats, orientations and eccentricities. You’ll discover that house fairies are entirely different from garden, freshwater, ocean, mountain, forest, sky and elusive wandering ones. Lilla Boelecz’s detailed color illustrations offer portraits of each fairy kind. You’ll see that boggarts bear no resemblance to bubble sprites, nor do seal folk look like moon maids. You may recognize leprechauns, but mostly likely not spriggans. The author also highlights “fairy familiars,” fascinating creatures like unicorns, sea serpents, phoenixes, dragons, black dogs and winged cats, all who live alongside and in the company of fairies, as pets or companions.

As with humans, no fairy is perfect. The book includes a section on repelling common mischievous fairy antics, or planting certain herbs and flowers (like nightshade or yarrow) to protect your peace of mind and private spaces.

But it’s rewarding to woo fairies, too! Included are activities like brewing fairy tea, building fairy houses, or planting sunflowers, thyme and willow trees to invite them in. For the extra curious, there’s a quiz for determining your most compatible, personal soulmate from fairyland.

In creating the book, both the author and illustrator relied heavily upon the findings of experts and researchers who have studied the history, mythology and appearances of fairies over time. While many types are well-documented, a few have only recently been discovered! Others are only rumored to exist, so not mentioned in this volume. But there’s always opportunity for a revised edition, so be on high alert hanging near secluded streams, exploring remote forests or hiking up quiet mountain trails. Fairies embody the essence of nature and thrive in it, untamed and free.

Be sure to tuck this book into your pack to accompany your next wild adventure. Embrace the unexpected!

“Second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning,” Peter Pan reminds us.

Let’s go away with the fairies!

Here’s a typical snippet from one of the individual field guide entries, each accompanied by a portrait illustration:

MOSS FOLK
Other Names: Wood People, Wild Folk
Likes: Doing favors, baking, trees
Dislikes: Rejecting their gifts, caraway bread
Diet: Herbivore — bread and pastries, moss, flowers
Alignment: Seelie
The curious, outgoing moss folk are always small, hairy and gray-skinned, about the size of a human toddler, and prefer to dress in clothing made entirely of moss. Their approach to passersby who enter their trees is generally always friendly, and it’s likely, if you cross paths, they’re going to ask to borrow something, such as fresh cow or goat milk for their moss children. They will always compensate in the form of good advice or with a treat that they’ve baked for you — perhaps some delightful bread or pastry. Most are notoriously well-studied in matters of health and healing.

Sandy Ferguson Fuller
Writer, Editor, Illustrator
alparts.com

 

Originally published in the summer + fall 2025 issue of Well.