I’m looking for a vintage, illustrated children’s book that I believe was made in the 1940s or 1950s. In the story, a little boy (just one boy–no siblings or friends) somehow is invited to a fairy wedding and he dances and parties the whole night with the fairies, elves, goblins and toads before he has to go back home. Other details that stand out: he slides down a tunnel to get to an underground area where the “fairyland” is (my mom remembers this tunnel as starting at the base of a tree); he fills a jar with fireflies to make a lamp when walking through a dark place; at some point, either an elf or a toad or a fairy (some magical creature) is caught in something and he helps him escape and is rewarded by being a guest to a party/wedding (I think maybe the caught creature was the groom?); there is a cute little blushing bride who I believe is a fairy or something–I think the party was her wedding, but I’m not sure. My mother also remembers there being a lot of red-capped mushrooms throughout the book. Thanks!
When you mentioned red capped mushrooms, I was reminded of Elsa Beskow. Could the book you are looking for be “Around the Year”?
Maybe one of Enid Blyton’s pixie/fairy stories? They had good illustrations. Pixie Tales was one compilation.
https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/book-details.php?id=796
Thank you for your responses! Unfortunately, it was neither Enid Blyton or Elsa Beskow. It was a stand-alone book, not a compilation or anything. The difference between this book and a Beskow one is primarily the illustrations—this book was very vibrant, lush and almost had the same look as Corinne Malvern illustrations. Maybe a little less detailed, though. It was not a Little Golden Book, though. I think I also remember that the little boy was blonde.