flowers of spring

One of our favorite series of children's books are the Flower Fairies of the Spring, Flower Fairies of the Summer, Flower Fairies of the Autumn and Flower Fairies of the Winter by Cicely Mary Barker.  We like them for their sweet and sometimes informative poems as well as the fanciful and beautiful watercolor pictures of fairies that they contain.  Mostly though we appreciate Ms. Barker's naturalist's eye and her ability to so accurately render the flowers alongside those fairies for each season.  I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed to admit that they've been a greater aid for our flower identification skills than any other book we own.

 The Song of the Celandine Fairy


Before the hawthorn leaves unfold, 
Or buttercups put forth their gold, 
By every sunny footpath shine
The stars of Lesser Celandine.
                                             -Cicely Mary Barker