Flower Fables (Dover Children's Classics) - Softcover

Alcott, Louisa May

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486793893 ISBN 13: 9780486793894

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2015

Synopsis

"This is a nice collection of fairy tales that is sure to please young readers and the adults reading to them alike. The writing is very beautiful and the book contains several gorgeous illustrations to accompany the stories and bring them to life through their beautiful artwork." — Of Stacks and Cups
The author of Little Women possessed a special gift for capturing children's imaginations, and she wrote these fairy tales when she was just sixteen years old. Louisa May Alcott created the fanciful stories for the amusement of the daughter of a family friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Populated by elves, brownies, and other supernatural creatures, the fables conclude with memorable lessons for young readers about the power of love and kindness and the importance of responsibility.
In "The Frost-King," steadfast Violet approaches the fearsome ruler of winter in order to bring warmth and sunshine to the flowers back home. "Lily-Bell and Thistledown" recounts a wayward spirit's attempts to reform; and "Ripple, the Water-Spirit" tells of the sacrifice and rewards involved in keeping a promise. These and six additional stories and poems are accompanied by charmingly evocative illustrations.

About this title

From the Publisher

A talented group has been assembled to produce this edition. Daniel Shealy, the Alcott scholar who has edited the complete body of her fantasy fiction, contributes an illuminating afterward and is the book's editorial consultant. Leah Palmer Preiss's incomparable art suits the fresh and imaginative spirit of these pioneering tales. A playful facet of Preiss's exquisite illustrations is her inclusion of hidden quotes from and minuscule portraits of individuals who helped shape Alcott's life and work. Look closely and discover the words and faces of Shakespeare, Plato, Alcott's beloved mentors Emerson and Thoreau, and many more.

From the Inside Flap

For nearly 150 years, children around the world have cherished the stories and novels of Louisa May Alcott, including, of course, that most beloved classic Little Women. Surprisingly, there is a body of work by this American master not known to the general public, as it has not been widely published since her lifetime -- her fairy tales and fables.

These stories grew out of Alcott's experience, starting at the age of sixteen, as a teacher and storyteller to the children of her Concord, Massachusetts neighbors, among them Ralph Waldo Emerson. Alcott's imagination was nurtured by woodland walks with her friend Henry David Thoreau, including visits to his cabin on Walden Pond, and by the Transcendentalist philosophies of her father, Bronson Alcott. In this atmosphere she fashioned highly imaginative tales for her students. Encouraged by their spirited response, Alcott published six of her fairy tales under the title Flower Fables in 1854, marking the inception of her life as a pioneer in American fantasy fiction.

Indeed, it seemed a natural extension of Alcott's intellectual curiosity and love of nature to create a vibrant environment of possibility for children. Through these marvelously enticing encounters with fairies, elves, and animals, Alcott laid a foundation for young people based on the essential themes of love, kindness and responsibility.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0486793893
• ISBN 13: 9780486793894
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128