KIDS/SNEAK PEEK : AUTHOR SCALORA KNOWS JUST WHERE THE FAIRIES ARE.

Byline: - Nancy Hewitt

Lately, when people ask Suza Scalora if she believes in fairies, she answers immediately with a resounding ``Yes!''

Maybe it's a because her first book, ``The Fairies,'' is No. 20 on amazon.com's teen best-seller list.

Or maybe it's because her Web site, myth.com, is flooded daily with comments and inquiries about fairies.

But Scalora thinks it's because fairies need to be here - and acknowledged - to bring in the next century.

Fairy folklore has been around for ages. Most adults read fairy books when they were youngsters. Scalora did. She enjoys the fact that so many people- especially adults - are visiting her Web site and commenting favorably on the book. ``I'm getting e-mails from people who really believe that the fairies in the book are real,'' Scalora says.

This fact especially pleases here, as she spent approximately a year researching, writing and photographing to provide the only book around that contains actual fairy pictures.

Scalora also maintains the book isn't just for kids.`` It's for everyone,'' she says. ``I want adults to go back to that place where they believed. The kids already believe.''

The author is convinced of the existence of fairies and admits she is surprised more people haven't seen them. ``I think fairies are everywhere. Logically they would be in forests, because they are nature spirits,'' she says. ``We just don't see them.''

After pouring through many books on folklore in doing her research for ``The Fairies,'' she knew what she had to do. ``I knew that I wanted to do a book on fairies,'' she says. ``I already knew how the photographs would be.'' She had in her mind images of each of the fairies she wanted to portray.

To make her story believable, Scalora puts herself in the place of an archeologist and explains her search for fairies scientifically in the opening pages of the book. What follows are sumptuous photos and biographies of more than a dozen fairies, including two not-so-good ones to liven up the mix.

``Fairies, in a way, are mirrors of us,'' she says, explaining why she chose two less-than-perfect fairies to include in the book.

To make the fairies believable, Scalora set up her own perimeters for finding them in their own habitats based on research she had done on the best-known of the creatures. She also devised lures specific to each fairy that would entice them to appear so she could capture them on film.

Her colorful, vibrant photos capture the playfulness, the shyness and the beauty of these elusive creatures. Cedahlia, the Golden Angel fairy, is lured by conflict. But Eugenie, the Emerald Forest fairy, responds to the sight of pencils. Ariel, the Crimson Sky fairy, likes fireflies, while Laurel, the Purple Sleeping fairy, is easy to spot, as she has a glowing light around her.

But fairies shouldn't be confused with angels. ``The difference between angels and fairies is that fairies can do a lot of damage. At least that's what we see in folklore,'' she adds.

``The Fairies'' retails for $19.95. You can order the book online from amazon.com.

Let it snow!

What do you have planned for the Christmas break? Reading a good book? Playing video games? Having a snowball fight?

You read correctly. A snowball fight. And here's the place to grab handfuls of that wet, white stuff.

Universal Studios Hollywood is bringing a ``Way Cool Winterland'' event to Southern California. Enjoy strolling carolers, sample hot cider and fresh-baked gingerbread cookies. Ooh and aah at the six-story Christmas tree and get reacquainted with favorite cartoon characters.

Then, of course, there's the snow. Make sure to visit the Rugrats' Snow Zone, where you will find a 100-foot sledding hill, a snowball-fight area and even a place to build a snowman or make snow angels.

The holiday activities are included with the admission to the theme park in Universal City. Information: [phone].

A holiday dilemma

A young girl is torn between celebrating Hanukkah with her mother and Christmas with her father in the holiday episode of ``Disney's Pepper Ann,'' airing as part of ``Disney's One Saturday Morning'' between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. Saturday on KABC (Channel 7).

New take on a classic

Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy give their own interpretation of Tchaikovsky's ``The Nutcracker'' in this holiday episode of ``Disney's Mickey MouseWorks,'' at 11 a.m. Saturday on KABC (Channel 7).