Flower Fables

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. 1st World Library-Literary Society is a non-profit educational organization. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - THE summer moon shone brightly down upon the sleeping earth, while far away from mortal eyes danced the Fairy folk. Fire-flies hung in bright clusters on the dewy leaves, that waved in the cool night-wind; and the flowers stood gazing, in very wonder, at the little Elves, who lay among the fern-leaves, swung in the vine-boughs, sailed on the lake in lily cups, or danced on the mossy ground, to the music of the hare-bells, who rung out their merriest peal in honor of the night. Under the shade of a wild rose sat the Queen and her little Maids of Honor, beside the silvery mushroom where the feast was spread. "Now, my friends," said she, "to while away the time till the bright moon goes down, let us each tell a tale, or relate what we have done or learned this day. I will begin with you, Sunny Lock," added she, turning to a lovely little Elf, who lay among the fragrant leaves of a primrose.

We are no longer children, — but it is not long since we were; and remembering that golden time, when the sun was brighter, the flowers twice as many, the rivers larger, and everything fairer, than it ever has been since, we welcome this book of fables for children. The writer of them was herself a girl of sixteen when they were written, — many, many years ago, — and of course their chief charm is for younger people than we venerable undergraduates. And the children (whose judgment is best) declare loudly for the book, and listen pleased for hours to the adventures of Lily-Bell and Thistledown and the kind little Ripple. But others also can find a pleasure in the love and knowledge of Nature which the book shows, and in its graceful fancies and sweet lessons of charity and patience. The men and women who write stories for children do a greater work for the world than we are wont to think of. Horace praised poets because they formed the "tender mouth" of children, and turned them from the vile to the beautiful. Miss Alcott does not need to "Claim the shelter from her sire of an immortal name," for she has earned praises for herself.

This is a collection of brilliant fairy-tales originally composed at the age of 16 for Ellen Emerson, Flower Fables (1855) by Alcott. It is her first writing that presents a treasury of six different old-fashioned tales brimming with enchanting and remarkable fairies and other mortals, each carrying a hidden moral lesson. Though, it is not considered to be a powerful creation but being a bedtime masterpiece, it is a piece of literature that leaves its impact.

Six stories and three poems relate the adventures of the fairy folk and their friends, the flowers.

Flower Fables - Louisa May Alcott - Flower Fables contains wildly imaginative stories that grew out of Alcott's experience as a storyteller to the children of her Concord, Connecticut, neighbors. Through these enticing encounters with fairies, elves, and animals, the author creates a foundation for young people based on the themes of love, kindness, and responsibility...

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Canadian Fairy Tales" by Cyrus MacMillan. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

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." This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.