Flower fairies
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Flower Fairies are illustrations by Cicely Mary Barker, created during the first half of the 20th century.
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[edit] The Creator of The Flower Fairies
Flower Fairies are the product of English illustrator Cicely Mary Barker. Unable to go to school as a child because of her epilepsy, she was home-schooled and spent much of her time drawing and painting. Her artwork was influenced by illustrator Kate Greenaway and even more so by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and she developed her talent as a member of the Croydon Art Society. Her flower fairy paintings, in particular, were driven by the Victorian popularity of fairies and fairy stories.
Cicely Mary Barker published her first Flower Fairies book in 1923; she received £25 for Flower Fairies of the Spring, a collection of twenty-four paintings and illustrations. The books enjoyed huge popularity due to Queen Mary’s well-known interest in fairy art. She later published seven more volumes of Flower Fairies. Following the publication of Cicely Mary Barker’s original Flower Fairy paintings and verses, two series of fairy stories featuring original Flower Fairies characters, Flower Fairies Friends and, more recently, Secret Stories, have also been published. The Flower Fairies were Cicely Mary Barker’s most well-known creations. They are notable in particular because of the sweet, realistic depiction of the children, modelled on children enrolled in her sister Dorothy’s kindergarten. She has also been likened to Beatrix Potter in the botanical accuracy of the plants and flowers amidst which the fairies dwell. The Flower Fairies and all related publications are licensed properties of Frederick Warne & Co and the Estate of Cicely Mary Barker.
[edit] What is a Flower Fairy?
Flower Fairies are tiny creatures (the biggest is only 20cm tall) that live in the bottom of gardens, the middle of grassy meadows, and on the edge of distant marshes. Wherever and whenever a seed sprouts, a Flower Fairy baby is born. Each Flower Fairy lives and sleeps in their chosen flower, plant or tree, and as this grows the fairy grows too. Each and every Flower Fairy is in charge of looking after their flower or plant; keeping it strong and healthy by making sure it has plenty of sunshine and water to drink, sweeping away dead leaves, and polishing flowers and stems.
[edit] How to Find Flower Fairies
The best times of the day to see a fairy are at twilight, midnight, just before sunrise, and midday. And the best time of the year to see a fairy is on Midsummer's eve, as this is the most magical time for all fairies. Flower Fairies love music and dancing, and hold many balls and parties throughout the year, but on this special night they throw the most wonderful party of all, and every fairy in Flower Fairyland is invited! Fairies don't like to be discovered, and are very good at disappearing quickly (with the help of their magical fairy dust), so you must be very careful and very patient if you are to see one.
Flower Fairies are very shy creatures, and are especially wary of humans - who they find very big and loud! Each fairy has extra-sensitive ears, so if they hear someone coming close to them they are careful to flutter into their flower and curl up tightly. Each fairy wears an outfit made from their own leaves and flowers, so it is easy for them to hide. If people know about the Flower Fairies their curiosity could put Flower Fairyland in danger. So if you are lucky enough to spot a Flower Fairy, be sure to keep it a secret!
[edit] Who are The Flower Fairies?
Below are a few of Cicely Mary Barker’s well-known fairies.
- Wild Cherry
Beautiful Wild Cherry can be spotted peeping through her delicate blooms in early Springtime. Although rather shy, Wild Cherry has many friends among the Flower Fairies of the trees, and one of their favourite games is hide and seek high up in the treetops!
- Almond Blossom
Almond Blossom is a wonderful sight in her dress crafted from beautiful pink petals. When the other fairies see her dancing and gliding through the branches they know it's almost Springtime! Happy and fun-loving, Almond Blossom is everyone's friend.
- Lavender
Lavender loves to sing and play. One of her favourite things to do is twirl around and around a lavender stem until she feels quite dizzy! She is friends with the white butterflies that flutter around her flowers, and they often play games of chase, darting back and forth amongst her sweetly scented fronds. She provides her scented flowers to the other fairies to make their clothes smell delicious.
- Rose
Sweet Rose is the gentlest of the summer Flower Fairies. A kind fairy, she likes nothing more than tiptoeing around her flowers and tending to them in the warm sunshine. She is a very good friend to the honey bees and is often seen guiding them to her fullest blooms and standing protectively beside them as they collect pollen.
- Zinnia
Zinnia's flowers are some of the brightest in the garden, with their blooms ranging from pale pink to dramatic orange! With her tortoiseshell wings the Zinnia Fairy is a colourful sight as she flutters around the flower bed, tending to her blooms and collecting petals to make pretty costumes.
- Buttercup
Outgoing and friendly, Buttercup likes nothing better than to skip through the summer meadows, visiting friends and singing to herself in the sunshine. She fills the fields with her yellow flowers, which she polishes until they shine like gold, which give pleasure to all her fairy friends and human children too.
[edit] The Original Flower Fairies Books
Below are the eight original Flower Fairies books and the dates they were published by Cicely Mary Barker’s original publisher, Blackie.
Flower Fairies of the Spring (1923) ISBN 978-0-72-324826-2
Flower Fairies of the Summer (1925) ISBN 978-0-72-324827-9
Flower Fairies of the Autumn (1926) ISBN 978-0-72-324828-6
A Flower Fairy Alphabet (1934) ISBN 978-0-72-324832-3
Flower Fairies of the Trees (1940) ISBN 978-0-72-324833-0
Flower Fairies of the Garden (1944) ISBN 978-0-72-324831-6
Flower Fairies of the Wayside (1948) ISBN 978-0-72-324830-9
Flower Fairies of the Winter (1985) ISBN 978-0-72-324-8293
Though first published in the first half of the century, Cicely Mary Barker’s original eight volumes were re-launched in 2002 with slightly contemporary jackets, while maintaining their classic artwork.
In addition, Frederick Warne & Co has also published the following compilations of Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairy artwork and poetry.
The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies (1996) ISBN 978-0-72-324839-2
Flower Fairies: The Meaning of Flowers (1996) ISBN 978-0-72-324291-8
A Treasury of the Flower Fairies (1997) ISBN 978-0-72-324887-3
Cicely Mary Barker and Her Art (1995) ISBN 978-0-72-324051-8
[edit] The Flower Fairies Today
Frederick Warne & Co have also published two other series of fairy stories based on Cicely Mary Barker’s original characters and incorporating her original artwork.
[edit] Flower Fairies Friends
Flower Fairies Friends are beautifully illustrated books for younger readers, each telling the story of a particular fairy and her friends, and were first published in 2003. The delicate artwork of the original Flower Fairies is complimented by collage backgrounds of dried flowers, leaves and seeds, creating the world in which the fairy friends live.
[edit] Flower Fairies Secret Stories
Secret Stories is a new departure for the Flower Fairies. Introduced in 2006, they feature the characters of the Flower Fairies Friends books in chapter book length stories for 6-10 year olds. The fairies maintain their classic charm, but in this series of books they feature in full length stories full of adventure, secrets and mischief and packed with details about the Flower Fairies and their world.
[edit] Flower Fairies Gift Books
A new range of gift books were launched in 2005 with Flower Fairies Journal (Fairyopolis) and continue with How to Find Flower Fairies (2007), featuring ephemera such as postcards, mini-books and letters plus tabs, lenticulars and pop-ups. They explore the worlds of the author Cicely Mary Barker and the Flower Fairies in exquisite detail.
[edit] Flower Fairies Merchandise
The Flower Fairies are highly successful internationally and are sold in more than 35 countries. Flower Fairies merchandise includes items such as giftware, toiletries, and stationery.
