For as long as I can remember, I loved drawing flowers. I drew vases and filled them up with blossoms, sketched bouquets of blooms I could name and several that maybe don’t exist! If I drew a mirror or a photo frame, the frame ended up all floral! My face lights up, my heart warms up, and my mind fills up with memories (bittersweet ones and beautiful ones too), every time I see flowers. And so for this week, I bring you books all about flowers in one way or the other.
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Flowers to Whelm Us
Whether it is the roses my kids collected from our backyard garden for the Mother’s Day brunch-in-bed tray, or the vibrant bouquet of florals my DH surprised me with this Valentine’s Day, or even the jasmine that blasts our senses of sight and smell each time we open our front door, flowers always manage to make my lips curve.
Even the flowers I placed to honor my parents at their funerals brought bittersweet memories to mind and warmed by heart as I recalled my mom’s joy in seeing my garden full of roses or how my dad effortlessly made origami flowers.
Looking back, I wonder how he did learn to make those flowers (and so many other paper creations by folding them – like benches and boats and clothing and …). And while I feel bad I can’t recall the steps to make all of the things today, I am glad for the other avenues available today.
Crafting Flowers
Like Naomiki Sato’s Origami Roses: Create Lifelike Roses and Other Blossoms or Paper to Petal: 75 Whimsical Paper Flowers to Craft by Hand
Curious About Flora
In addition to all that drawing I mentioned earlier, I also recall loving to draw the parts of a flower in biology class! And so whenever I see books that can teach me more about these delicate beauties, I read them, so I can learn something more. A few recent such finds are Advolly Richmond’s A Short History of Flowers: The Stories that Make our Gardens and Pavlina Kourkova’s The Souls of Flowers as well as Theresa Dietz’s The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History.
In A Short History…, Richmond expertly gives readers a history of each flower in a couple of pages along with some interesting facts. And Sarah Jane Humphrey’s accompanying illustrations are a treat for the eye!
Pavlina Kourkova stunning full-page illustrations (see below) along with her lyrical descriptions and commentary literally bring the souls of flowers to life in, well, The Souls of Flowers.
And if you are someone who loves walking and get curious about what you see along the way, then Andrea Debbink’s Pocket Nature: Flower Finding is one great way to figure things out. While I hope a future edition will include some more color, either in the form of paintings/colored sketches or as photographs of flowers, this book includes enough details and tips to help you get on your way to becoming a flora expert.
Since I mentioned enjoying drawing the details within, finding this book delighted me. Rachel Ignotofsky’s What’s Inside A Flower?: And Other Questions About Science & Nature is not just for young readers but older ones too!
Gotta Love the Flower-y Stories Too
From books for young readers to fictional reads for adults, these dainty beauties appear everywhere. Flowers for Algernon never fails to tear me up while The Darling Buds of May (though not really about flowers) always cheers me up! Nora Roberts’ Bed of Roses (part of The Bride Quartet series) is sure to be one for every romance reader. Another fictional florist I enjoyed reading about is Victoria Jones, the protagonist who understands The Language of Flowers.
Wordless
But I did not mean to talk about those books. Two wordless books for young ones caught my eye and warmed my heart. They are absolutely amazing and will make great gifts as well. Both these books can serve as ways to open up discussions in classrooms in so many ways.
The first one is by JonArno Lawson with Sydney Smith – Sidewalk Flowers. Oh my heart! How can I put into words what I feel about this wordless book? It is tough actually so please get it for yourself and check it out. It is simply beautiful in every way.
Next up is Mark Ludy’s The Flower Man. It shows us the immense power of flowers within its pages filled with stunning artwork full of little delightful details.
And the Wordy Ones
I recall reading a couple of Cicely Mary Barker’s fairy stories and rhymes a few years ago, and loved them. So when I found The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies, I simply had to check it out for myself. Granted, it is not directly about flowers. But then these are flower fairies after all, and are totally worth an inclusion here!
Last but not least, a book from a favorite author for many romance readers everywhere. It is Debbie Macomber’s Must Love Flowers.
Not Sure About These Ones
Then there is Tucker Nichols’ Flowers for Things I Don’t Know How to Say. So how do I say it? This book is so very unique and heartwarming in what is within. Like with pictures that can say a thousand words, flowers can help us say a lot too. The things we don’t know how to put into words, for example. Or those feelings we think we are facing all alone, and flowers can make us feel less alone. (But the truth is that there is someone else out there facing it as well, we just don’t know it).
Nichols started sending cards to those battling illness on behalf of their loved ones during the pandemic because that was how he could bring some warmth and cheer in their lives at a much needed time. Soon, his efforts became viral and strangers from around the world sent him requests to make a card for their loved ones for various reasons.
And this one I am curious about so just looking for it in the library now. Flower Color Guide by Taylor Putnam and Michael Putnam which is basically a color-by-color flower reference guide!!
Plus, one last book (?), or is it book-quet (?). It is so very unique and cool and fun and kind of like a forever-bouquet-book actually. It is Happy Day (UpLifting Editions): A Bouquet in a Book
