Venture to a world of fairies and flowers in this nineteenth-century collection of stories and poems from the beloved author of Little Women. At the tender age of sixteen, Louisa May Alcott's imagination was already in full bloom. From tales she told her neighbor, Ellen, daughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson, she wove together stories and songs about fairies, elves, talking flowers, and animals. With innocence and whimsy, Alcott revealed the shadowy kingdom of the Frost-King; introduced the vain fairy, Thistledown, and his kindly friend, Lily-Bell; descended into the depths of the sea with Ripple, the water-spirit; and more! The inspiration for the setting of "Fairyland" was in fact the wooded area around Walden Pond owned by Emerson, where Henry David Thoreau would lead the Alcott sisters and their friends on the berry-picking adventures that activated a rich fantasy world in young Alcott's mind. As delicately constructed as a butterfly's wings, these fanciful fables offer a sweet and fascinating glimpse into the imagination of a legendary American writer who had just begun to find her voice. Flower Fables includes: "The Frost King: Or, The Power of Love," "Eva's Visit to Fairy-Land," "The Flower's Lesson," "Lily-Bell and Thistledown," "Little Bud," "Clover-Blossom," "Little Annie's Dream: Or, The Fairy Flower," and "Ripple, the Water-Spirit Fairy Song."
