When a mischievous fox chews through the ropes securing Redcap's hot-air balloon, the old inventor-elf finds himself unexpectedly embarking on a night-time flight with his young companion, Bluecap. The two elves eventually land in an enchanted fairy realm, where they are greeted by the lovely Princess Viola, who relates the story of the evil gnome Dulcamara, whose spell has sent the violet-guarding dragon of the land to sleep, thereby robbing it of the flowers' magical protection. Now Dulcamara, formerly kept away by the scent of the violets, roams the fairy realm at will. When the princess mentions a secret cave where precious violet seeds can be found, seeds that might help reawaken the dragon, Redcap volunteers to fetch them. With the help of a somewhat less-than-motivated Bluecap, as well as his own shovel-pandelorium, the old elf sets out to do just that...

Originally published in German as Zwergenabenteuer, this picture-book from Daniela Drescher, a children's author and artist whose work often centres around diminutive magical beings, pairs an engaging adventure story with lovely illustrations. As always, Drescher's artwork is beautiful, with its use of vivid colours - the purplish-blue of the night-time sky, the bright reds and oranges of a fairy-party enjoying berries - and its depiction of appealingly fey creatures. It's unusual for her stories to feature a villain, so I particularly appreciated her depiction of Dulcamara, who arrives riding a jet-black crow. I also thought that the fold-out page, depicting the elves' flight, was a nice touch. Whether it's owing to the inclusion of a villain, or to the more adventurous storyline to be found here, I thought this was also one of Drescher's stronger works, textually, and think that young fairy-tale lovers will find it very entertaining. All in all, The Elves' Big Adventure is an appealing little volume! ( )