Beautiful illustrations _

Quite lowbrow I know, but both my children loved the old Ladybird books from the 50s and 60s when they were children, particularly the ordinary pictures of children doing things with their families. My favourite illustrator was PB Hickling, who was very prolific at that time, and illustrated lots of children’s books.

Unless you are looking for illustrations from nature, I always loved the old-fashioned pictures of the children in the Ameliaranne books eg Ameliaranne goes Touring, Ameliaranne, Bridesmaid by Constance Heward.

The flower fairies books. I learnt most of the botany I know from those.

Masquerade by Kit Williams.

Books of fairy tales illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley.

My daughter loved this as a child.