When we were little

For my birthday one year, I’m not sure which birthday, I was given a beautiful card that entranced me and I have kept it ever since. The card was from my grandma’s best friend, a woman who always had exceptional taste and always gave my family the most beautiful cards for special occasions. I still have many of the beautiful cards she gave me but this one is particularly special because it actually has a whole short story printed in the middle.

The story is called The Birthday Band, pictures and story by Molly Brett.  Brett illustrated for Medici an English greeting card company who’s aim was to ‘bring artists’ work to the appreciation of a wider public’. On their website they describe Molly Brett as one of England’s best loved children’s illustrators.

The daughter of an artist, Molly grew up around animals and nature which obviously influenced greatly her own art. She illustrated thirteen books for Enid Blyton as well as writing and illustrating her own stories. There are some still listed for sale on Amazon and many on Ebay. You can see some lovely images of her art on the cutely named Pixiepit website.

The thing I particularly loved about this illustration is that it is exactly how I picture fairies to look and act.  Her fairies are classically drawn and look like the ones that you might expect to meet at the bottom of the garden. The fairies are drawn in ballet positions, graceful and elegant and the little English animals are given so much gentle character. When I lived in Leeds for a little while many years ago I often used to take a walk in the wood and watch squirrels play and listen to the robins, imagining this Molly Brett scene.

The story centres around a grand birthday ball that the queen of the fairies is planning for her favourite dancer Rosetta but they have no music because Madame Nightingale is ill. Meanwhile the queen rescues a mouse from the claws of Mr. Owl by casting a  spell that leaves him bald. In return the mouse comes to the rescue of the fairy ball by telling them that he is actually part of a band lead by Senor Stagbeetle and they would love to play the royal ball.

‘And Rosetta pirouetted in delight as the band started to play’.