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She used children from her sister’s kindergarden as models for her Flower Fairies illustrations, combining their charme with meticulous botanical accuracy. The delightful pictures were admired everywhere for their naturalness. Cicely chose children as models whose character reflected exactly the flower in question. She thereby created wonderful unity between flowers, children and elves. 

In 1923, C. M. Barker’s first book "Flower Fairies of the Spring" was published. It’s immediate success led to the addition of more titles until, twenty-five years later, Cicely had completed the series of Flower Fairies books. Cicely Mary Barker died in Sussex, England in 1973.

Today, the original Flower Fairies are as popular as ever, and continue to be enjoyed by young and old alike.