A flower, a child, and a mother's heart—

These three are never so far apart.

A child, a flower, and a mother's love—

This world's best gifts from the world above.

A LL children are flowers in the garden of God's love. A flower is the mystical counterpart of a child. To the understanding heart a child is a flower and a flower is a child. God made flowers on the day that He made the world beautiful. Then He gave the world children to play amid the flowers. God has implanted in the breasts of children a natural love for flowers—and no one who keeps that love in his heart has entirely forsaken the land of childhood.

In preparing this book the author and the artist have attempted to show the kinship of children and flowers—and it is their hope that the little ones into whose hands this volume comes will find herein the proof that their knowledge of what flowers really are is true and that their love for the friendly blossoms is returned many-fold.

To you, then, little child-flowers, this book is lovingly offered as an expression of thankfulness to children for the joy and sweetness with which they have filled my life.

—ELIZABETH GORDON