Flower Fairies of the Summer

The riotous blooms of Spring are over, but Cicely Mary Barker's summertime flower fairies are equally charming and colourful. What sets this collection apart from her first publication is that Barker is much more experimental with her compositions. Most of the springtime fairies are presented nearly standing beside their flora, presenting both their creatively flower-inspired costumes and Barker's careful botanicals to full effect, but their summery companions are show at their ease. We see them perched charefully among their flowers' branches, lying restfully on the ground, and even backwards presenting their lovely wings. Choosing a favourite from this collection is surely a challenge, when Barker has so carefully instilled each fairy show more with a unique personality, but I am particularly drawn to the couture dress of the poppy fairy, the artful blossoms and mischief of the honeysuckle fairy, and the delicate colours of the scabious fairy. 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

There are twenty or so flower fairies. Each fairy is assigned to a specific flower with a specific job. The book gives a short poem of each fairy and flower. There is also a brief background of each flower.

I liked the fairies in the book. A reader might pay more attention to a flower in hopes of seeing a fairy flower. The fairy flowers give readers the insight that fairy flowers care for the flowers as we should too.

I would have the children draw/paint their favorite flower. I would also ask them to pick any flowers that evening and bring them to class tomorrow to put in a big vase.

I love Cicely Mary Barker's exquisite art, but her poems I usually skip.

These are the fairies that appear in Flower Fairies of the Summer, in alphabetical order [with one fairy listed both under the name Ms. Barker used and the name more commonly used in the USA]:

Bird's-Foot Trefoil Fairy
Buttercup Fairy
Convolvulus Fairy
Forget-Me-Not Fairy
Foxglove Fairy
Greater Knapweed Fairy
Harebell Fairy
Heather Fairy
Herb Robert Fairy
Nightshade Fairy
Poppy Fairy
Ragwort Fairy
Rose Fairy
Scabious FairyScabious Fairy
Snapdragon [Toadflax] Fairy
Toadflax Fairy
Traveller's Joy Fairy
Wild Rose Fairy
White Clover Fairy
Yarrow Fairy

Wonderful, whimsical world of Cicely Mary Barker.

Summary - Introduces poems about fairies and summer time to young readers

Critique of genre - poetry and song format throughout the whole book

Media pictures - watercolors