Flower Fairies of the Spring: A Celebration

Flower Fairies

by Cicely Mary Barker, Frederick Warne

Celebrate 75th Anniversary of the Flower FairiesIn 1923, Cicely Mary Barker published Flower Fairies of the Spring, a collection of lovely watercolors and whimsical rhymes based on her knowledge of plants and flowers and her artistic studies of real children. An immediate success, this first volume led to seven more books of Flower Fairies and, along with Barker's religious work, form the basis of her enduring popularity with adults and children alike. Frederick Warne is happy to celebrate the 75th Anniversary with a special edition of Cicely Mary Barker's first book. Collectors and fans will treasure the Celebration which features all the poems and pictures from Flower Fairies of the Spring (both past and present editions), as well as an informative introduction featuring a short biography of the artist, a history of fairies in art, a decorative time-line of fairy history, songs from the Spring Songs music book, and an illustrated explanation of how the artist worked using previously unpublished sketches and out-of-print flower fairies.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Art, Fairies, Fiction

77 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 1998

About the author

Cicely Mary Barker was the illustrator who created the famous Flower Fairies; those ethereal smiling children with butterfly wings. As a child she was influenced by the works of the illustrator Kate Greenaway, whom she assiduously copied in her formative years. Her principal influence, however, was the artwork of the Pre-Raphaelites.

Reviews

[Carolyn Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this book (series) is perfect!
The illustrations are breathtaking, enchanting and, beautifully detailed. The poems are sweet, wise, and cleverly written!
One of my favorite aspects about these lovely little books is how they’re a wonderful way to learn about the different flowers, trees, and plants each fairy represents!

Thank you Cicely Mary Baker for sharing your flower fairies with us 🥹✨

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love this Book!

I found this, by chance, at the library one day and I brought this home. It is a collection of poems from the 1920s about flowers and fairies. It’s almost 100 years old. Each fairy has a poem about the flower and when the flower grows. This collection is lovely with delicate artwork. There is such an innocence and purity to the whole thing. It does not tell a story, this is a collection of poems.

If you know me, you know I love fairies and this book is perfect for me. I did read this to the kids. The niece thought this was very cute and she gave this 4 stars. She still asks me if I believe fairies are real and I always tell her, without doubt, I know they are. She is still unsure of me. I think she wants to believe, but she knows what other people say. The nephew did not like this story at all. He kept interrupting me and wanting a new story, which I made him finish this. He gave this 1 star. Oh well. I guess there needs to be a robot fairy.

This book is a small book the size of your hand. It’s very cute and now I want to collect this whole series.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an illustrated collection of poems, each poem focusing on one flower and its attendant fairy. The poetry is a little twee for my tastes but not so much I didn't enjoy it. The real joy of this book for me, though, is the artwork, which is absolutely beautiful. They'd look absolutely stunning painted on a nursery wall (although the art style might be a little old-fashioned for most modern parents' tastes). I'll definitely be reading through the other three seasons.

The Song of the Dandelion Fairy

Here's the Dandelion's rhyme:
See my leaves with tooth-like edges;
Blow my clocks to tell the time;
See me flaunting by the hedges,
In the meadow, in the lane,
Gay and naughty in the garden;
Pull me up - I grow again,
Asking neither leave nor pardon.
Sillies, what are you about
With your spades and hoes of iron?
You can never drive me out -
Me, the dauntless Dandelion!

[Mila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've seen Cicely Mary Barker's work everywhere but this is the first time I've sat down and actually read the book. I love the crocus fairies the best because they are dancing to welcome Spring just like crocuses do. I was pleased to see some herbs such as Colt's-Foot and Speedwell and the Daisy Fairy reminds me of when my kids were tots and taught me to look down.

[Kayley Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Her scent is sweet and good:
It smells of every happy thing
In sunny land and wood.”

Reading these darling fairy poems makes me want to curl up in the gardens of Hyde Park and read, and watch butterflies, and happily laze the day away.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet book of poems. Each page has a short poem and a picture of a fairy with the flower highlighted by the poem. The rhyming lines and the simple words make this a great book to read with children. The illustrations are gorgeous and we learned a little more about different flowers, too. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical!

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 as when the plants can mainly be found, along where and what they may look like. Just love these books!

[Your Common House Bat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much like the Flower Fairies of the Summer that I reviewed, this book was a wonderful part of my childhood. Like the others in the series the poems were beautiful. A child may not fully understand the language but that is made up for by the awe-striking illustrations. As a child I loved just looking at the pictures of the fairies and making up my own stories for them. As an adult I can fully appreciate the enchantment of the poems. Basically this book is a stellar read for readers young and old.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book originally published in England in 1923. It contains little poems and drawings of fairies associated with particular flowers. There are twenty flower fairies in this book. There's also an introductory poem with a black-and-white drawing. All the other fairy drawings are in color.

The drawings are very well done and show fairies that are human-like in appearance, varying in age from around a toddler to perhaps a young adult. The poetry is, of course, somewhat old-fashioned, but still nice.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely little book of poetry. The author is the illustrator and artist. Such beauty is not seen today. I bought the whole fairy set to read with my girls this summer. They love the fairies and the poems that describe them. I am so glad I discovered these little books and I hope someday my girls will feel the same way. A beautiful way to make memories with them that I hope will last a lifetime. Wonder full book set!

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flowers and spring time go hand in hand. Next time you give flowers give a Flower Fairy book. Make the gift twice as nice - and one the blooms of the blossoms have faded the blossoms in this book will ever be new. Once you read on Flower Fairy book you will want to read them all.

[Annemarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read a lot of poetry. But I absolutely love Cicely Mary Baker's books. I read the flower fairies of the trees years ago, and this one is just as good. Wonderful drawings with cute little poems, great for everyone who loves fairies.

[Emila Yusof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and poems! Love it!

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful, whimsical world of Cicely Mary Barker.

[Snufkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic addition to any cottage bedroom, beautiful artwork and poetry!

[Sarafina Skov · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a sweet little book, a great read for lovers of flowers and spring <3
Beautiful illustrations, I can definitely see this being a good book to read to children as well.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flower poetry. Cute rhythms and rhymes for a child.

[Whole And · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning, authentic, educational and magical.
LOVE this author's fairy work and learning about different plants in their right season.

[maddie ʚ♡ɞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

not as good as the alphabet one but it was still lovely

[Jaimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

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. 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!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flower Fairies of the Spring is a little collection of poems and illustrations by Cicely Mary Barker. It was published in 1923. They are adorable little poems meant for children about all these little flowers of the spring. Starting with the earliest flowers to appear and ending with the latest blooms that appear on the cusp of summer. I really enjoyed reading this little collection this afternoon. The illustrations were half the fun as well. I even learned about some flowers that I hadn’t heard of previously. I did read it during the wrong season, but that’s ok!

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

When my nan was alive, and I was a lot younger, whenever I stayed over, we used to read these books together at night before I went to bed. I miss that.

The spring version was really lovely, but I must admit I preferred the illustrations to the poems in this particular book. Still, the are very lovely and will always be cherished!

I just wished that Barker would have considered doing a story. The poems were beautiful, but a story conbining the fairies would have been magical!

[Dark-Draco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had these books forever - must have been given them as a child and they have remained a firm favourite. It has been really nice re-reading these poems - I love the way they work, mirroring the attitude of the flower as it is portrayed in each painting. My favouirite pictures were 'Hazel Catkin' and 'Larch', while my favourite poem was 'Windflower'.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I got old and cynical and weird I really liked reading this book about fairies. The art is really pretty! Looking at it now is super nostalgic.

[Cathy Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Katherine | readbykatherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and sweet.

[Ehryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite poem was THE SONG OF THE DANDELION FAIRY, but my favorite painting was that of the Primrose Fairy.

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

cuteee

[Girl and Books]

So cute