Contents
About The Lonely Daffodil and this Book Review
I received an advance review copy (ARC) of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Of course, a spoiler alert is in place as it ever is in any of my reviews.
The Lonely Daffodil is a children’s book written by author Emily Langhorne. The book is illustrated by Heather Heyworth.
How the book The Lonely Daffodil made us feel
The Lonely Daffodil is a breath of fresh air. What a truly simple, yet sweet, enriching and beautiful story! The flow is impeccable, paced in its steady stream. The writing is clear and friendly as are the illustrations. The author, Emily Langhorne, inspires herself from her hometown, famous it seems for its daffodils, in order to write a heartfelt story about, well you know, a lonely daffodil. Her love of the outdoors also transpires in her writing and her choice of protagonist. Resounding congratulations are in order on a well-written and well-illustrated children’s book.
Simple magic
This book has so much simple magic. I can’t quite say whether it is the daffodil itself, the adventures it goes through, or the beautiful ending. The author manages to make an illustrative story about a lonely daffodil realistic and relatable and it is the sweetest, kindest gift to a child. There are no magic wands, there are no explosion, there are no sensational or exaggerated plots. And yet you can feel everything that the lonely daffodil feels and everything feels true and even beautifull in its moments of sadness. There is stillness with the lonely daffodil not moving from its one place. And yet the reader is taken on a trip it seems. This is thanks to the meeting of different elements, from tree, to cloud, to squirrel, to bee.
Many children’s books make me doubt that authors truly understand about writing for children, and the minds that they are thus affecting. This author knows her craft and as a parent, I am glad I came across this wonderful little gem.
The details
One question remains at the end of the story for me. Where are all the daffodils in the hill gone? Or is it that the lonely daffodil stops reaching out for them when it is surrounded by new ones? Actually, there is another something. I kept expecting that the recurring ladybird on most illustrated pages will end up being a friend to the lonely daffodil. Something in my head had created an alternate story where the lonely daffodil would realise that all along he wasn’t alone. He would see that besides the tree, the cloud, the bee and even the daffodils in the hill, there was all along, a ladybird that stayed with him. Any other development, anything that segued from the expected ourcome of my kindled imagination would have surely disappointed me.
Subverting even my demanding extras
But not only was this book’s ending better, it did not make me long for anything more, even a story involving the ladybug. So, although the little ladybug’s presence was slightly distracting for me, segueing my imagination to other endings, wanting me to revendicate her presence even, I ended up accepting that she was just a detail entered by a punctiluous illustrator possibly inspired by the author and just as part of the scenery as was the grass. You will love this book if you like simplicity and nature.
I would give this book 9.5/10. As such, The Lonely Daffodil definitely makes it on Fussy Tongue’s list of great children’s books.