Buttercup Gold and Other Stories
by Ellen Robena Field
Buttercup Gold and Other Stories use nature as metaphors for life, death, growth, and change in order to teach children about life in simple yet magical ways. The book was dedicated to "the dear kindergarten children, and particularly to my little friend, Alice Caro Wing."
Source: Field, E.R. (1894). Buttercup Gold and Other Stories. Bangor, ME: Bangor (Maine) Kindergarten Association, C. H. Glass.
- “A Child of Spring”
- A poem about springtime.
- “Five Little Indian Brothers”
- A short story about five kernels of corn growing in the Farmer Lane. The author uses this as a religious metaphor.
- “How the Raindrops and Sunbeams Helped”
- A short story about the first days of spring.
- “Baby Caterpillar”
- A short story about a caterpillar’s transformation into a butterfly.
- “The Robin”
- A short story about a robin who flies north in the springtime, builds a nest for his mate, and migrates south for the winter.
- “Rock-A-By Baby”
- A short story about the growth of a tree and its blooms of spring.
- “Mother Nature’s House Cleaning”
- A short story about the rain and the first few days of March/Spring.
- “Nature’s Violet Children”
- A short story about violets who were picked from their home in the forest and brought to little girl’s house. With the help of sunlight and a caged canary, the violets thought positively and blossomed.
- “The Little New Year”
- Maurice is visited by the little New Year and his cart of gifts. He shows Maurice the wonders of giving to others and the happiness that it brings.
- “The Lily Sisters”
- The short story of Easter and three young lillies.
- “Buttercup Gold”
- A short story explaining where buttercup flowers come from.
- “The Raindrops”
- A short story about raindrops who fall from the sky and form pools of water that get bigger and flow into the oceans. There, they help form a rainbow showing that even the smallest of things can help to make something beautiful.
- “Glories”
- A short story about noticing the beauty around you. Laura and baby Donald never noticed the beautiful glories growing in their backyard until Laura heard them speak to her. She and Donald played with them all afternoon. Laura learned the lesson well.
- “A Fall Song”
- A poem describing “The Fall of the Year” or Autumn.
- “The Babies’ Blankets”
- A short story where Mother Nature writes a letter to Father Winter to send her a blanket (of snow) to protect the flowers from Jack Frost’s cold winds.
- “Love’s Garden”
- A poem about love that uses religious and nature themes.
- Year Published: 1894
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: United States of America
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Readability:
- Flesch–Kincaid Level: 5.7
- Word Count: 6,855
- Genre: Fairy Tale/Folk Tale
- Keywords: 19th century literature, british literature, children's literature, short stories