I wrote The Fairy Ring for kids to read for fun, but in the source notes and bibliography, curious readers can follow the paper trails left by some of the real people in The Fairy Ring.

If you check the Bibliography under “Other Works Consulted,” you’ll find the book Fairies at Work and Play, by Geoffrey Hodson. In it are many, many more descriptions of fairies he claimed he saw in places all over England.

Sometimes the paper trails lead backwards in time, to people who aren’t in The Fairy Ring, but whose lives touched the lives of the people who are.

If you browse a bit further in the bibliography, you’ll find a book called The Doyle Diary. It’s the sketchbook of Charles Altamont Doyle, the father of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the world’s most famous detective.

The sketchbook shows all manner of strange creatures, including fairies. At the time Charles Altamont Doyle drew them, he lived in an insane asylum.

Another example:  Sir Arthur’s uncle, Richard Doyle, was a famous illustrator of fairies.

You can find many of his paintings online by searching for “Richard Doyle artist” and choosing images. But an online search is only one way.

On the shelf of your public library you might (if you are lucky) find a gorgeous illustrated volume of Richard Doyle’s fairies. That book would likely have a bibliography, leading you to yet more interesting books. And shelved right next to it you could find other, related, books you might not have thought of searching for online.

One book leads to another, like a trail of clues.