Anne Arrives by Kallie George and Illus by Abigail Halpin

I was a little skeptical of this book. I mean how can you distill LM Montgomery into a short little picture book? 

BUT it really only handles a chapter or two per book (because other books are in the works!), so it isn't wildly condensed.

And it is illustrated by Abigail Halpin who happens to be a favorite of mine.

End papers

Floral borders are the best.

Wild roses and Mrs. Lynde puzzling over Matthews unprecedented trip to Carmondy in the middle of the day. 

Rachel Lynde going over to grill Marilla about circumstances. 

Anne waiting patiently.

The thing about favorite books being turned into illustrated versions is things do not always look exactly how they look in your head. The White Way of Delight looked differently. And it wasn't sunset yet. 

I feel like I need to reread this just so I can see if I was missing some details. Because that is entirely possible. 

Discussing the burden of red hair.

Disappointment.

Communing with the Snow Queen outside her window.

Anne determined to be happy even though she was being sent back.

The red roads of Prince Edward Island

And then the delight of staying and getting to name the geranium on the window sill.

Mrs. Lynde receiving mortal offense. 

Anne in high dudgeon. 

Anne, crowned and boqueted with wildflowers. 

Fairy Poems by Laura Ingalls Wilder & Illus by Richard Hul

Did you know Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote Fairy Poems? She did! While she was out in San Francisco seeing Rose, Rose got her a job writing poems for a children's paper. 

I don't often associate LIW with fairies. I mean so much of her life was so practical and no-nonsense, where would fairies fit in? 

But then, if someone loves flowers and nature as much as Laura did, fairies are not far behind. 

I found this little gem on the shelf in my library one day and was completely delighted. 

The illustrations are SO NOT Laura Ingalls Wilder--okay, Laura Ingalls Wilder is really just Garth Williams, but I love them anyway. 

The Fairy Dew Drop

Down by the spring one morning

Where the shadows still lay deep, 

I found in the heart of a flwoer

A tiny fairy asleep.

Her flower couch was perfumed,

Leaf curtains drawn with care,

And there she sweetly slumbered

With a jewel in her hair...

...But a sunbeam entered softly

And touched her, as she lay.

Whispering that 'twas morning 

And fairies must away. 

The fairies in the Sunshine

Painting flower and baby faces.

...They color all the apples

And work for days and weeks

To make the grapes bloom purple

And paint the peaches' cheeks.

Ah! There's a tiny fairy!

She's in the garden bed!

It's little Ray O'Sunshine

Who makes the roses red. 

The Naughty Four O'Clocks

This is a sweet little book of fairy poems--just a dozen or so, but so darling! 

Buttercup Days by AA Milne

                                                                                    --from Now We Are Six

I love this poem. There are poems of AA Milne's that I love more, but this one is so sweet and buttercups are just coming out now and... I happen to love how "fist of her's" rhymes so nice with "Christopher's." It probably isn't a terribly sophisticated rhyme, but for some reason, it delights me. 

To make a prairie by Emily Dickinson and Pamela Dalton

To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,--

One clover, and a bee,

And revery. 

The revery alone will do

If bees are few.

                             --Emily Dickinson

Not knowing when the dawn will come

I open every door;

Or has it feather like a bird,

Or billows like a shore?

                               --Emily Dickinson

                                                                      From Katherine Patterson's Giving Thanks

Flower Fairies of the Summer by Cicely Mary Barker

A little while ago I got a great deal on all the Flower Fairies books in a box set. Since I adore these books (flowers+fairies+vintage illustrations=joy) I jumped at it. Unfortunately I am not crazy about the covers. I am getting used to them, I no longer shudder when I see them. Haha! They aren't terrible. Actually, now that I am complaining about them so vocally, I am rather liking them. 

There is no debating Cicely Mary Barker though. Love!!

The song of the Forget-me-not Fairy

The foxglove fairy

Bird's foot trefoil

I love that these are all common wildflowers. At least in my corner of the world!

Nightshade is so exotic

Harebell is practically a teenager

While heather is a little scamp. 

Scabious has one of the ugliest names, but the cutest fairy.

Scarlet Pimpernel Fairy

Okay, Scabious has a little competition for ugliest name from ragwort. Cute little fairy dress though!

Rose fairyzz

The True Book of Weeds and Wild Flowers by Illa Podendorf

The title makes you wonder if there was a infestation of books giving false information at the time. The true book editors saw a need for some truthful books and bam! a series was born. 

I love wildflowers. They are one of my great delights in life. Picking flowers to use in book pictures made me deliriously happy this past weekend. (Just ask Justin. I was bouncing around asking him to just look at how cute these are! And how white these ones are! And did  you notice....? I am easily entertained.) As much as I love flowers, I very rarely pick a bunch for the house. I generally spy the flowers I want when I am either walking a mile or two from home or driving along 10 minutes late for where I am supposed to be. Neither is conducive to gathering bunches of flowers and getting them home before they droop. But this Sunday afternoon, I went for a flower picking expedition and picked to my hearts content. Rain had just fallen, so everything was fresh and dewy looking. 

Happy sigh....

Loving wildflowers and plants as I do, it is obvious why I like this book. It is a pretty simple, but useful introduction to plant science and wildflowers.

Some-of-the-time weeds vs. all-of-the-time weeds. 

We have already discussed how much I love dandelions. 

Queen Anne's Lace--happiness! 

Grasses.... I find grasses fascinating. There are so many different varieties. I actually decided to get a biology/botany degree because of the wide variety of grass types. That and a desire to know wildflower names. No, it doesn't really make sense to me either. But it is true!

Early Spring Wildflowers

Ironically, only one of all the flowers I picked is in this book. 

There it is--Trillium! For the longest time, I thought picking trillium was illegal in New York. But a two second google search said it was only illegal to pick the red trillium. I am relying on that two second google search being accurate. 

Summer and autumn flowers

You can't really read this page, but it is an impassioned plea to leave wildflowers alone. Do not pick them to decorate your house. Or for photo props.

The irony kills me.

I take comfort in the fact there are thousands more where these came from. 

But don't pick Lady's slippers.