when they can't do anything about it, is not fair. If a child feels secure and loved, this will provide an optimistic background to fall back on in times of stress. Many books now are full of ugliness, and adult problems that children cannot handle. I try to redress the balance. I deliberately show happy and beautiful things that children can remember when they need them.' Adults write her, thanking her, for the kind of stories they remember from their own childhood, or saying that a child was not interested in reading until receiving one of her books. She receives many letters from children saying how much they love her pictures, and sometimes confiding that they see fairies too! The Martha B. Rabbit books received a special mention in the coveted Critici in Erba Awards throughout Europe; there are also UK, US and New Zealand editions. They have been translated into French, Dutch, German, Polish, Spanish and Turkish. European sales are around 30% of total volume, (which runs between 50,000 to 100,000 copies per title) and increasing all the time. A random check of Melbourne book stores found that nearly all her books are steady sellers in suburban shopping venues. And then there are the fairy shops.