A Spring Reading List – Best Books to Read for Spring
As the days grow longer and the world begins to bloom, there’s no better time to refresh your reading list with books that capture the beauty, magic, and gentle wonder of spring. In this seasonal reading list, you’ll find timeless tales and poetic musings brought to life by some of the most enchanting illustrators of the golden age. From the nostalgic charm of A Child’s Garden of Verses illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith to the whimsical world of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland paired with John Tenniel’s iconic art, these books are a celebration of childhood, nature, and spring’s joyful return. Pour a cup of tea, find a sunny spot, and let these springtime classics bloom in your hands.
A Floral Fantasy – In An Old English Garden
A Floral Fantasy – In An Old English Garden – Illustrated by Walter Crane is a beautiful book full of whimsical poetry. Set in an English Garden, the touching tale brings to life each beautiful flower, narrating time long since passed, accompanied by the stunning neoclassical-style illustrations from Walter Crane.
A Floral Fantasy – In an old English Garden – Illustrated by Walter Crane
Language of Flowers – Illustrated by Kate Greenaway
A fascinating insight into a bygone era, this wonderfully unique work provides an enchantingly illustrated glossary of The Language of Flowers. It shares the tradition, sparked by renewed Victorian era interest in botany and exotic plants – of using flowers as a means of covert communication.
The Flower Book – Illustrated by Maxwell Armfield
The Flower Book is a charming volume, containing poems, stories and anecdotes about the wonderful array of British plants and flowers. It was written by Constance Armfield, and illustrated by Maxwell Armfield, and contains four sections: ‘The Meadows and Coppice’, ‘The Hedge’, ‘The Garden, ‘The Pool’, and The Herb Patch.’ In these sections, one can find stories and drawings regarding Snowdrops, Violets, Daffodils, Primroses, Buttercups, Bluebells, Honeysuckle, Tulips, Roses, Iris, Nasturtium, and many more.
The Secret Garden – Illustrated by Charles Robinson
The Secret Garden is the timeless story of Mary Lennox, a sickly girl who is left orphaned and alone when an outbreak of cholera kills her parents and the staff of their home in India. She eventually ends up in Yorkshire with her uncle Archibald Craven and becomes inspired by the curious story of a nearby ‘secret garden’ she hears from a neighbour. A new film adaptation of the tale comes out in April, the perfect amount of time to read the book before the film comes out.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Illustrated by John Tenniel
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Illustrated by John Tenniel
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There – Illustrated by John Tenniel
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There – Illustrated by John Tenniel
Read John Tenniel 200 – Celebrating the Illustrator of Alice in Wonderland here.
A Child’s Garden of Verses – Illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith
A Child’s Garden of Verses – illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith
Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales – Illustrated by W. Heath Robinson
This beautiful book, illustrated by W. Heath Robinson, was originally published in 1913. It is a fantastic collection of seventeen classic fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. Stories include, ‘The March King’s Daughter’, ‘The Snow Queen’, ‘The Storks’, ‘The Real Princess’, ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’ and more. These classic tales are accompanied by 16 incredible colour illustrations many beautiful and intricate black and white drawings by W. Heath Robinson.
The Wonder Garden – Nature Myths and Tales From all the World Over – Illustrated by Milo Winter
The Wonder Garden – Nature Myths and Tales From all the World Over – Illustrated by Milo Winter
The Springtide of Life – Poems of Childhood – Illustrated by Arthur Rackham
The Springtide of Life – Poems of Childhood – Illustrated by Arthur Rackham
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