Wildflower: You cannot own a wildflower

by Briana Corr Scott

An old woman’s wish for a child is granted in the form of a thumb-sized girl born inside a flower. Though the child brings the woman much joy, Wildflower cannot be planted in one place; she must go where the wild wind blows. And if her mother really loves her, she must let her go.In Wildflower, artist Briana Corr Scott (The Book of Selkie) brings her whimsical illustrations and gentle poetry to the beloved Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, “Thumbelina.” Maintaining the original spirit of Andersen’s tale, celebrating love between mother and child, kinship between humans and animals, and bravery—no matter your size or shape—this refreshing retelling gives newfound agency to Wildflower, and offers young readers a tender lesson about the importance of respecting nature.Wildflower is the perfect gift for new mothers and mothers-to-be, recent graduates, and anyone with a love and appreciation for nature.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2021

About the author

Briana Corr Scott is an artist and author based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She tells stories about the beauty of the natural world in her oil paintings, paper doll creations and children’s literature.

Briana studied painting and museum education at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. She moved to Nova Scotia after her graduation in 2006.

Briana has dedicated herself to painting and drawing from life. Her art and stories are inspired by experiences of drawing objects in nature. Briana works primarily in oil and gouache to make botanical drawings, illustrations, animations, surface patterns, and paintings. She is inspired by the strange, overlooked details of the Nova Scotia coast. Weeds, moths, periwinkles and fog are some of the star subjects in her work.

Her residency at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, Ireland during the summer of 2019 was a turning point in her career. While hiking and painting in the rocky hills, she allowed her various art mediums to merge playfully. She now uses her oil paintings, illustrations, and poems together to create magical short stop-motion animations.

Briana’s children’s literature blends together her series of paper dolls with the stories and poems that she writes while walking in nature. Her first and second picture books, “She Dreams of Sable Island,”, and “The Book of Selkie” were published by Nimbus Publishing Ltd. in 2019. She is currently working on “Wildflower”, a retelling of the classic tale of Thumbelina, to be released in spring 2021.

Briana has shown her fine art work in solo and group shows at Argyle Fine Art and Teichart Gallery in Halifax. Her various art works have appeared internationally in online features, film and magazines. Her short stop motions have been featured on CBC Nova Scotia. She has read aloud from “She Dreams of Sable Island” and discussed her writing process and art practice at numerous events, including public talks at Argyle Fine Art, "Word on the Street" at the Halifax Public Library and the Museum of Natural History in Halifax.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was first drawn in by the beautiful cover, then when I read it was a modern reimagining of Thumbelina, I was sold.⁣
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𝑺𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔: 𝐴𝑛 𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛'𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑡ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑏-𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑎 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟. 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑗𝑜𝑦, 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒; 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑔𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑠. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑔𝑜.⁣
⁣
A whimsical, sweet, poetic story that explores love, kinship, and bravery. Your child will get lost in the beautiful illustrations as they listen to a story sure to send them off into a blissful dreamland.⁣
⁣
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Wildflower is a stunningly beautifully illustrated picture book for children that will stir their imaginations and send them off to sleep with a beautiful tale.
This book is a Thumbelina retelling about a lady who is lonely and longs for a daughter of her own. She receives one in the form of a tiny girl inside of a flower. But the girl is part of nature and longs to be free amongst the nature around her and the old lady has to give her back to the land.
This book is so pretty and cleverly retold in a whimsical way with poetic verses.

[Kaeshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

You cannot own a wildflower.

This book is a reimagining of Thumbelina. I was also reminded of Studio Ghibli's Secret World of Arrietty. If you've liked those stories, then you will adore this book as I did. Wildflower, a thumb-sized girl, is born inside a flower, mothered by an old woman who wished for a child. But, she is a Wildflower and must explore the world. She adventures through the wild, going where the wind goes. The author used her own illustrations, and they are beautiful. She's done a fantastic job in capturing the colours of nature and the joys of Wildflower. I have given it four stars as I felt the ending was rushed.

Thank you NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for giving me the opportunity to review this.

[Way Through The Wardrobe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is gorgeously illustrated and visually utterly stunning. The story, a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson's 'Thumbelina' is retold is unforced and gentle verse. It is a quick read, but a beautiful and poignant one, exploring the relationship between a mother and a child - the gift it is to nurture a child, and the loss of letting one go. I love the idea of the child as a butterfly, exploring in ever increasing circles but always coming back to the safety of home. This book would make a wonderful gift for mothers of all ages and stage of life to draw hope from, treasure, and share with their children.

[Ella Ramsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one hit hard to home and makes me cry every time I read it. Absolutely beautiful story and artwork—genuinely might get a tattoo for it. This story is really for everyone but it is an absolute must-read for long distance mothers/daughters

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really strong visit to the world of fairy, with a lonely woman gifted the birth of a tiny humanoid 'daughter' in the bowl of a wild flower. But wild proves to be the key part of her name and nature, and she's not one destined to settle down and do little at home when there's a much greater world out there to explore. Artwork that never shies away from the graft of presenting the colours and patterns of nature, and really nicely poised poetry to deliver the narrative, make for a quality volume, that deserves to do very well indeed. Four and a half stars.

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wildflower by Briana Corr Scott is a visually lovely picture book retelling of the story of Thumbelina. The artwork is lovely, with a heavy emphasis on the natural world, and the story itself deals with love and personal freedom and the beauty of nature. While I appreciate a story trying to include diversity in its illustrations, I'm more than a little uncomfortable with the imagery of a lonely white woman being magically granted a little brown baby to love and raise. And the depiction of Wildflower/ Thumbelina veers towards "magical Indigenous" stereotypes. As pretty as the book is, I'm not sure I would recommend it because of these probably unintentional subtexts to the story.

Thanks anyway to #NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for granting me a temporary digital #advancedcopy of Wildflower in exchange for my honest review. #CantownaWildflower

[A Yusuf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in the library and just lost my shit.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this story – it was such a wonderful read!

It was well written and I liked the ending too, one that left me with a little smile on my face and it was a pure delight and pleasure to read.

It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful Thumbelina retelling told in prose accompanied my the most gorgeous illustrations. I'm excited to share this with my girls when they are a tad older

#netgalley #cantownawildflower
Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC

[Ashley Dang · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous modern retelling of Thumbelina! Featuring gorgeous artwork and a great environmental message from the author/illustrator! This is a great read for anyone who loves fairytales, retellings, or just a magical story.

*Thanks Netgalley and Nimbus Publishing for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations in this retelling of Thumbelina. Even though we all know this story, Briana Corr Scott’s poetry and art are so moving. An excellent story about the love of a mother and child.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wildflower is a beautiful retelling of Thumbelina. A lonely woman wishes for a child to mother and a friendly witch gives her a seed. When the plant grows and the flower blooms, there is the tiny child: Wildflower. After years of happiness with the woman, one spring Wildflower wants to experience the nature all around her. Her mother is sad but knows that Wildflower wants to be free. She has many adventures in the summer and fall. She grows weaker and a mole locks her in a dark room. A bird helps her escape and she returns home to her mother.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a retelling of Thumbelina. I was first drawn to the book by the cover and title. Once I learned that this was a retelling of one of my favorite fairytales, I knew I had to read it. The illustrations are so good. I loved all of the little details. This was a quick read, but I enjoyed reading about the relationship between the mother and child as well as the relationship between the child and nature.

*Thank you Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.*

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's good. But I can't round up to four stars because the rhythm of the text makes it hard to read aloud. It looks like it should rhyme, and it reads with a mostly regular beat, but doesn't work that way; the lines don't break where they should nor does it actually rhyme.

[OjoAusana · Rating 5 out of 5]

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* really beautiful childs book! The artwork is amazing and the story is very cute as well!

[Celia Rheault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such beautiful art work! Lovely, whimsical, and refreshing modern-day take on Andersen's Thumbelina.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great art, environmental themes. Briana Corr Scott always does great work.

[Travel By Bookmarks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here’s my review of Wildflower by Briana Corr Scott published by @nimbuspub.

This picture book follows the story of a reimagined version of the fairy tale Thumbelina where a woman’s wish for a child is granted in the form of a tiny girl born inside a flower. Even though the baby brings a lot of joy, she is destined to be free outside. I think this is one of the first children’s books I’ve read, with Digitally Lit, that wasn’t about social justice or reconciliation and I welcomed the change. This book celebrates kinship and bravery in a wonderful way.

This poetic story was sweet and invoked strong feelings of nostalgia. While most picture books I read haven’t, this one especially reminded me of the wonder of childhood books and the original version of Thumbelina that I used to read. This book is whimsical and gentle with symbolic themes. Younger readers will appreciate the story while older ones will notice the deeper meanings behind it. The book retells the tale well and promotes themes of respecting nature and emphasizes the strength of self-identity.

It is a quick read, but such a delightful one, exploring the relationship between a mother and daughter beyond infancy. I loved the overall idea of giving the daughter a way to always come back to the safety net of home while also allowing her to explore the world, all whilst being wary of toxic relationships with others—lessons that also hold true in the real world.

One of the most impressive things about this book is that the author, Briana Corr Scott, was also the illustrator. She did a wonderful job making the book poetically and visually enchanting. The illustrations in this book were truly magical, and each page was absolutely beautiful.

This is a great read that mothers and children will especially enjoy. I recommend this book to anyone seeking a short yet tender read. This book is perfect for those looking for a lyrical children’s book with stunning illustrations.

I rate this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 /5 stars

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated rhyming story about Thumbelina, is about the result of a wish made by a woman who belonged for a child. From a flower seed, a very tiny baby grew, and when the child had grown, although remaining tiny, she ventured into nature to enjoy the wildflowers. Finding she was prevented from returning home she hoped for freedom.