A Poetic Taste of Autumn: Flower Fairies

FLOWER FAIRIES OF THE AUTUMN 
with the nuts and berries they bring

By Cicely Mary Barker
1985 Edition
Originally published 1926

Delve into this wee little volume of fairy poems and pictures, and enter an enchanted little world where the spirit and character of each plant is wonderfully embodied in its fairy.

Exquisitely charming, expressive, and life-like, the fairies were all modeled on real children (often her sister's kindergarten pupils) who posed for Miss Barker in her little studio behind their home.

Miss Barker's art was part of England's long history of distinguished fairy painters, which included renowned  fairy painters such as John Anster Fitzgerald, Sir Joseph Noël Paton, and Charles Doyle, who was the father of Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes.  Fairy art was very much the rage in 19th and early 20th century England.

In fact, Queen Mary, who was an avid admirer of fairy art, even bought one of Miss Barker's paintings. Cecily had left  it for her as a gift, but the queen insisted on paying, with Buckingham palace sending Miss Barker a lovely note of thanks.

Miss Barker's sensitively-rendered watercolours capture perfectly the glowing colors, warmth and woodland bounty of autumn. Among the autumn fairies there is the mischievous but winsome robin's pincushion fairy; the naughty blackberry fairy who teases and tears with her brambles, but richly rewards with her fruits; to the wicked nightshade fairy who tries to lure children to taste of his poisonous fruit; and the more domestic crab-apple fairy, who plans to stew her apple, and store it in acorn cups.  

She tells us, in "The Song of the Crab-apple Fairy":

"Crab-apples, Crab-apples, out in the wood, 

Little and bitter, yet little and good!

The apples on orchards, so rosy and fine,
Are children of wild little apples like mine."

There's the playful horse chestnut fairy, who tired of being pelted by boys seeking nuts, pleads for them to stop--so he can throw some!

There are eighteen fairies in all, each with a lovely picture (all but one in color), and an accompanying poem. The poems are short, simple, and not only charming, but capture the nature of each fairy surely and succinctly.

This book is a lovely choice for any child who loves fairies, is a great way to share poetry with young children, and is a real treasure for collectors of fairy art. And the diminutive size fits perfectly into little hands.

 

There are other Cicely Mary Barker fairy books available in this series: Flower Fairies of the Winter; Flower Fairies of the Spring; Flower Fairies of the Summer; Flower Fairies of the Wayside; Flower Fairies of the Garden; and Flower Fairies of the Trees.

There are also Cicely Mary Barker flower fairy stickers and activity books, coloring books, postcards, and paper dolls.  


Available new from $3.05-$7.99.  Used copies from $2.12.