Sunny the Yellow Fairy

**Sunny the Yellow Fairy** is the third fairy in the Rainbow Fairies.

## Plot

The seven Rainbow Fairies are missing! Rachel and Kirsty search for one in each RAINBOW MAGIC book. Read all seven books to help rescue the fairies and bring the sparkle back to Fairyland!

Fairyland is home to seven colorful sisters. Together, they are the Rainbow Fairies! They keep Fairyland dazzling and bright. But when evil Jack Frost sends them far away, the sisters are in big trouble. If they don't return soon, Fairyland is doomed to be gray forever!

A trail of sparkly yellow dust lands Rachel and Kirsty in a very sticky situation! Could Sunny the Yellow Fairy be at the bottom of it?

## Character Description

*Sunny the Yellow Fairy produces all the sunny, yellow hues of Fairyland - from the bright golden rays of the sun down to the creamy petals of buttercups. As she creates her colour, lemony-scented fairy dust streams from her wand and transforms into little butterflies.*

## Profile

*Yellow is associated with intellect and the expression of thoughts. Sunny is the 'brainiac' of the group - a font of esoteric facts and anecdotes on a wide range of subjects.*

## Appearance

Sunny has slightly-tanned skin. Her hair is short and blonde in colour. Sunny wears a golden-yellow T-shirt with an orange butterfly on the left side. She has matching golden-yellow shorts with the same orange butterfly on the left side. On her feet are golden-yellow sneakers. She also wears yellow teardrop bracelets on both wrists and a matching necklace. Sunny's wings are round in shape and are yellow-tinted.

## Personality

Sunny is very inventive and has a sweet personality. She is bright, clever, and smart. Her nose is always stuck in a book, and she likes to explore new things. Sunny is helpful, too, and is willing to explain things to others if they do not understand something.

## Story Summary

Rachel and Kirsty are exploring a wide field on Rainspell Island when Rachel hears something strange in a stream. She and Kirsty listen closely, and can make out a voice whispering “follow me…” among the sound of the water. As the girls hurry ahead downstream, they find a herd of cows, which begin to run from a buzzing sound - a very large bee flying straight at them! The girls and Kirsty’s parents run from the bee, which seems to be following them, until they reach a fenced yard and dodge inside, discovering a small cottage. An alarming creature emerging from some trees turns out to be an old woman in a beekeeper suit, who introduces herself as Mrs. Merry and shoos away the bee, which she says is a lone queen looking for a hive. She then offers the Tates and Rachel some fresh honey. Rachel’s sample fizzles on her tongue and looks sparkly, meaning there must be another fairy nearby.

The girls get permission to stay a little longer at Mrs. Merry’s cottage; after her parents leave, Kirsty asks which hive their honey sample came from, and Mrs. Merry indicates one hive which has been a lot more peaceful and producing better honey lately. To be safe, however, she gives each girl a beekeeping hood before letting them approach. Kirsty asks Mrs. Merry for a drink of water so she’ll be out of the way; as soon as she’s out of sight the girls carefully open the hive. Setting the sticky lid carefully on the grass, the girls see a puff of sparkling yellow fairy dust and know they’ve found another fairy, who turns out to be sitting in the hive combing a bee’s fuzzy hair. The fairy introduces herself as Saffron (Sunny) the Yellow Fairy, and is happy to hear that Ruby and Amber have been rescued, though worried to hear that goblins have been close to the pot. Rachel assures her that Bertram the frog is protecting the other fairies and the girls have promised to find those still missing.

A large bee crawls into Saffron’s lap, and is introduced as Queenie, Saffron’s new friend. She seems rather attached to the bees, but agrees to go with them and find her sisters. Rachel retrieves a very sticky Saffron from the hive and hides her in her pocket as Kirsty closes the hive and Mrs. Merry returns. Mrs. Merry gives Kirsty a glass of water then leaves to buy cat food. Rachel retrieves Saffron from her pocket so covered in honey and lint that she can’t fly, so the girls bring her to a birdbath to clean up. Saffron bathes and dries herself quickly, turning the water lemon scented, and says goodbye to a rather sad looking Queenie.

She and the girls haven’t gotten far before Saffron realizes she’s left her wand on the edge of the birdbath. They hurry back into Mrs. Merry’s yard, keeping a watchful eye for goblins, but it isn’t until they reach the birdbath that any goblins appear. One has stolen Saffron’s wand and perched on Queenie’s hive with it, upon seeing Saffron he hops down and begins tossing the wand back and forth with another goblin. Queenie rises from the hive with several other bees who begin to chase the goblins; one hits her wing with yellow sparks from the wand, but the bees continue their chase. The goblins bump into each other in their haste, dropping the wand which Queenie grabs and returns to Saffron. The rest of the bees chase the goblins away and the air grows warm, but Queenie’s wing has been injured and they must take her to the other fairies to fix it. At the pot under the willow, Saffron greets Bertram and her sisters and tells them what happened. Amber fixes Queenie’s wing with a fairy needle and thread from Kirsty’s magic bag, and Queenie decides to stay with Saffron - the hiveless queen at Mrs. Merry’s can take care of her bees. Saffron and Queenie enter the pot and wave goodbye to the girls as they promise to find the rest of the Rainbow Fairies.

## Trivia

* She is the first fairy to have a US name.
* She was originally called Saffron when the Rainbow Fairies were first released in the US in 2004, as some US editions exist with 'Saffron.'
* In the movie *Rainbow Magic: Return to Rainspell Island*, Saffron is voiced by Lauretta Gavin.
* In the movie, Saffron wears brown tights underneath her yellow shorts.
* Saffron's favourite food is fizzy sherbet lemons.
* Saffron's favourite thing is her yellow teardrop necklace.
* Saffron's playmates are The Fun Day Fairies.
* Saffron is the first fairy to have her wand stolen by the goblins, the next being the Green Fairies.
* Yellow butterflies emerge from Saffron's wand each time she waves it.
* Queenie and the other bees described and illustrated in the book make honey, but they bear a closer resemblance to bumblebees.

### Etymology

Saffron's name comes from the spice, saffron. Saffron is a spice that has a rich gold-yellow pigment.

Sunny's name may come from the adjective to describe bright light from the Sun.