By Kaylie Seed
If you want to tell someone they are your friend, give them a cornflower! Inspired by the Victorian practice known as floriography, where flowers were used to communicate unspoken feelings, The Language of Flowers is an enchanting story about the relationship between flowers and bumblebees. The Language of Flowers is Canadian author Dena Seiferling’s debut picture book and it does not disappoint. Readers young and old will delight in the story of the bumblebee Beatrice, who learns the language of flowers and is able to speak with them. This story highlights how bumblebees are important because they bring pollen to flowers.
The illustrations are lovely. Seiferling gives human-like qualities to both Beatrice and the flowers. The pages are not your typical bright and colourful ones that are normally seen in a children’s picture book and instead are soft and dark, managing to make the reader feel warm as they make their way through this story.
At the end of The Language of Flowers, Seiferling has included drawings of the different flowers found throughout the book along with their names and what they mean. Young readers will have fun identifying these flowers in their own backyards and neighbourhoods. Seiferling has written a story that is both important and magical, mixing the importance of flowers and bees with all the kind things we can say to one another.
Thank you to Tundra Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada, for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.