Flower Fairies of the Spring

Bursting on to the scene like Spring itself, with her bevy of spring themed flower fairies, it is no wonder that Cicely Mary Barker saw near instantaneous success. Her poems are forgettable, but the colourful charm of the springtime flowers is instantly uplifting. Some of the other flower fairy collections are dominated by green tones (more plant than flower, to be honest), but in true spring fashion Barker's first set of fairies are a riot of colours from the purple primroses to the yellow daffodils. I'm not plant expert, but Barker also seems to have chosen her specimens carefully - the poems tell us of these plants' early flowering cycles, and the brief introduction tells us how closely she worked with the staff at Kew Gardens. show more Flowers were a dominant theme in Victorian art and lietrature, as well as seeing a revival with the decorative arts adn art nouveau movements, so even though she chose to pair them alongside the more whimsical fairies, Barker also shows a shift in trends in the art world and an expansion on an established theme. I can't wait to delve deeper into the gardens of hte rest of the year and see which fairies are hiding there! show less

This is another of Cicily Mary Barker's flower fairy books while it covers the flowers of Spring. More than the autumn and winter books I can tell this particular one is more England-based than American based for although I knew some of the Spring flowers there were a few that I had no idea what they were.

I love the artwork that is done to match the fairies with their plants. The colors of the leaf petals or the needles usually matching part of the outfits of the fairies while each added fairy adds the right whimsical touch whether a young fairy or an older type of fairy.

From there each fairy has a poem about his or her plant that gives facts. This one has more added notes on the different names of the plants that are included as well show more as when the plants can mainly be found, along where and what they may look like. Just love these books! show less

I've been reading these since I was little and recently bought them for the little in my life, we both love fairies. These make the long walks we take in each season so much more enjoyable, we recite the little rhymes and look extra close for the fairies

Flower Fairies of the Spring has beautiful illustrations. The poems are so-so.

Here is a list of the fairies that appear in this book, in alphabetical order:

Bluebell Fairy
Celadine Fairy
Coltsfoot Fairy
Cowslip Fairy
Crocus Fairies
Daffodil Fairy
Daisy Fairy
Dandelion Fairy
Dog Violet Fairy
Hazel Catkin Fairy
Heart's-ease Fairy
Lady's Smock Fairy
Larch Fairy
May Fairy
Primrose Fairy
Pussy-Willow [Willow Catkin] Fairy
Speedwell Fairy
Stitchwort Fairy
Willow Catkin [Pussy-Willow] Fairy
Windflower Fairy

I bought this for Audre on her 4th birthday. I plan to read it to her every Spring for as long as she'll let me.

Wonderful, whimsical world of Cicely Mary Barker.

Sweet illustrations.