The story behind the book Who’s Behind the Fairy Doors? is every bit as interesting as the book itself. If you’re not familiar with how these mysterious and magical portals popped up around Ann Arbor, there are two possibilities to consider. One is that fairies put them there! The other involves Ann Arbor artist, author, and Certified Fairyologist Jonathan B. Wright, who first discovered them a little over twenty years ago, when they began appearing as he remodeled his 100-year-old home on the town’s west side. The first one appeared under a staircase he was working on. The next near a fireplace. Later, they also appeared in the kitchen and breakfast room.

In the following years, they began popping up all over Ann Arbor’s downtown. What Wright’s actual connection is with the appearance of the doors remains to be determined. But he has done a wonderful job of documenting adults’ and children’s responses to the doors, by compiling material from the Fairy Journals that can be found near each of the doors, which can be found in places like Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea, Peaceable Kingdom, the Ann Arbor District Library, and at the new C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan.

For more details on Wright’s diligent Fairyology work, visit his website or Facebook page.

And for a delightful book experience pick up a copy of Who’s Behind the Fairy Doors, a winner of a Next Generation Indie Book Award and a finalist in the “Children’s Novelty & Gift Books” category of the National Best Books 2007 Awards.