At the fairy's garden

Laila Nevakivi 2018: Kati-keijun puutarhassa


Garden is waking up in the spring. Fairy Kati is eager to see the early flowers, snow bells, daffodils, tulips to start growing. She wakes up bumble bees and other bugs, it is time to work.

Later the apple trees are blossoming, and the queen bumble bee is building her nest. The book explains how pollination happens and lists the insects that does this important job. There is also instructions how to make an insect hotel.

Kati, the fairy, loves all flowers, but above all flowers, which she got from her Grandmother Wilhelmiina: bleeding heart, irises, peonies, martagon lilies and all old garden flowers.


In the shadows is a secret garden, where Kati loves to play her flute, many others enjoy it too: blackbirds, frogs and other animals.

Then it starts to rain and the snails attack! Uncle Jackdaw suggest to invite all his relatives to eat the snails, but Kati feels sorry for them and plays the fifer -trick and the snail go to some one else's garden.


The book has many stories about the mole's underground home, how a butterfly is born, fleet of ladybirds (when I was baby sitting an old american girl, we had a lengthy discussion if it is a ladybird or a ladybug, but I am old school, in my mind it is a ladybird).

Summer turns in to fall and the garden is ready for rest. In November the frost has covered the garden in powered ice. A new kind of beautiful. There is nothing more to do. Kati is ready for sleep and to wake up in the spring.

Lovely book, even though I do not agree in guiding the snails into the neighbors garden. I am a very eager gardener (maybe too eager, I have a tendency to smother to death) and I hope that my boys will enjoy garden as well. I am afraid that they take after their dad. Maybe I should get him interested and boys would follow?