Book Review: Bloomin' Tales

Bloomin' Tales: Seven Favorite Wildflower Legends
by Cherie Foster Colburn
Illustrations by Joy Fisher Hein

65 pages
Bright Sky Press, 2012
List price: $9.95

Legends seem to have a universal appeal to children, even when deep down they may know that the stories might not be true. It's the mere possibility that they are that draws them in. In Bloomin' Tales, Cherie Foster Colburn tells the legends behind seven wildflowers that children throughout the United States might be familiar with: foxglove, water lily, prickly pear cactus, morning glory, Indian blanket, goldenrod, and bluebonnet.

This is a great way to introduce children to flowers and gardening by appealing to their sense of adventure. Being inspired by the stories here, they may want to grow some of their own and eventually pass the legends down to their own children one day. Also included are some facts about each wildflower, making this an excellent teaching tool for parents and educators.

The stories are charming, to be sure, but carrying equal weight are the beautiful and colorful illustrations by Joy Fisher Hein. The book has also been published in a hardcover version with a slightly different title: Bloomin' Tales: Legends of Seven Favorite Texas Wildflowers.

Cherie Foster Colburn is a professional landscape designer, contributor to numerous magazines, and author of Our Shadow Garden, illustrated by and benefitting the children of M. D. Anderson' Children's Art project and Heirloom Bulbs of Today with bulb hunter Chris Wiesinger.

Joy Fisher Hein is an artist, Master Naturalist and illustrator of several books. She lives in Texas Hill Country.