The garden is an oasis, a pocket of nature in our busy modern lives, full of plants, animals, insects – and a fair bit of magic. Folk Tales from the Garden follows the seasons through a year of stories, garden lore and legends. Explore the changing face of nature just outside your front door, from the tale of the Creator painting her birds and the merits of kissing an old toad, to pixies sleeping in the tulips, and an unusually large turnip.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. Please see:Donald Smith
Dr. Donald Smith is a storyteller, novelist, playwright and performance poet. He was born in Glasgow to an Irish mother and was brought up in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling. He is a founding member of the Scottish Storytelling Forum and of Edinburgh's Guid Crack Club, and is Director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre at The Netherbow. He chaired the Committee that established the National Theatre of Scotland and became a founding Director.
Smith completed a Ph.D. thesis on Naomi Mitchison at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of numerous books, including a novel set in Edinburgh at the time of Robert Burns, Between Ourselves (Luath, 2008), God, the Poet & the Devil: Robert Burns and Religion (Saint Andrew Press, 2008), and the collection of poetry, A Long Stride Shortens the Road: Poems of Scotland (Luath, 2004).
Cute book of seasonally-themed garden stories, including some originals by the author and many familiar classics. My main complaint is the sexism of many of these classic stories- such as the focus on girls being pretty, compliant, and married- but I did enjoy the garden magic of it all. Also the asides from the author about his own garden, and the community gardens of Scotland. Overall a nice bedtime read, especially because the stories are usually just a few pages🥱😴
A book told throughout the months via the eyes of a Scottish gardener. I loved all the descriptions of the wildlife and flowers etc, which grow from season to season. I enjoyed most of the folk tales although I wasn’t keen on all of them.
A magical, charming collection of folk tales and musings on gardens and gardening, beautifully presented and illustrated. An original little gem - highly recommended!