Once Upon a Fairy Tale House: The True Story of Four Sisters and the Magic They Built

This nonfiction picture book tells the true story of four sisters who used their skills and creativity to bring storybook houses from their childhood fairy tales to life in 1930s Southern California.

Mildred, Harriet, Brenda, and Wilma Moody grew up reading classic fairy tales and inventing their own, wishing they could live in the stories. They imagined storybook houses for themselves and slept there in their dreams every night. As adults, the sisters followed separate career paths until Mildred, an artist, needed a place to paint. Harriet, an architect, sketched plans for a studio that looked like the whimsical abodes from their childhood dreams.

When people saw the enchanting studio, they began to want fairy tale houses of their own. So, Harriet drew more plans, and Mildred decorated the insides, and Brenda and Wilma joined them to take care of the banking and business. Soon, storybook cottages bloomed throughout their tiny town. And when families moved into their new homes, they could all feel just a little bit of the Moody sisters’ fairy tale magic.

Mary Lyn Ray is the author of many picture books for children. Her texts are often praised for their lyricism and emotional depth, and in her works, she frequently focuses on humankind’s relationship with nature. Among her critically acclaimed titles are Stars, Christmas Farm, Pumpkins, The Thank You Book, and Go to Sleep, Little Farm.

Giselle Potter has illustrated many books, including Mary Morland in the Time of Dinosaur Discovery by Jane Kurtz, Once Upon a Fairy Tale House by Mary Lyn Ray, Try It! by Mara Rockliff, All by Himself? by Elana K. Arnold, and Kate and the Beanstalk by Mary Pope Osborne, as well as her own Tell Me What to Dream About, This Is My Dollhouse, The Year I Didn’t Go to School, and Simona and Her Forest Family. She lives in Rosendale, New York, with her husband and two daughters. Visit her at GisellePotter.com.