In this amusing but pointed story about acceptance, a boy named Spencer wants to catch a fairy, even though his friend Mariah says they’re for “beautiful little girls” like her. He’s surprised, however, when the fairy he finally catches is a “bear fairy” with fur and a beard as well as a pink dress and fairy wings.
The bear fairy is unintentionally disruptive, leaving empty potato chip bags all around, snoring loudly, and taking too much time blow-drying his fur. Spencer still wants to show him to Mariah, but it turns out that Mariah has a very limited view of what fairies should be like—beautiful, fancy, and long-legged, not pudgy and hairy. “He is the worst fairy I’ve ever seen,” she opines.
Spencer stands up for the bear fairy, insisting that he is beautiful, cuddly, and “perfect the way he is.” He and the bear fairy continue to play happily together in the park—and a final scene wordlessly indicates that Mariah just might now be trying to catch a bear fairy of her own.
While there are no explicitly stated queer characters here, Spencer’s love of fairies seems queer coded—and the term “bear” has long been used to refer to a large, bearded gay man. It seems obvious to me that this is a queer tale. It lightheartedly offers a lesson about acceptance and standing up for oneself and one’s friends, making it a recommended story that should particularly (but not exclusively) be appreciated by families with one or more bear dads.
Spencer is White; Mariah has tan skin and blue hair.
