This beautiful illustration and poem are from the book The Fairies of The Autumn by Cicely Mary Barker (1895-1973).
I was already in college when I discovered her work, but that didn’t stop me from absolutely loving it — for its delicate beauty but also for the way it brought fairies to life for me.
We currently live surrounded by oak trees — and in a banner year for acorns! — so I completely resonate with…
The Acorn Fairy
To English folk the mighty oak
Is England’s noblest tree;
Its hard-grained wood is strong and good
As English hearts can be.
And would you know how oak-trees grow,
The secret may be told:
You do but need to plant for seed
One acorn in the mould;
For even so, long years ago,
Were born the oaks of old