I’m not sure that words can do the beautiful watercolours in Wildflower justice, so let me start by saying that you should make an effort to come in and see a copy for yourself. Ellis Rowan was a botanical illustrator of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and as remarkable as her paintings are, it was how she came to paint them that is truly impressive. Rowan shunned the traditional lifestyle of a woman of her standing in the 1800s and instead travelled to places like New Guinea in pursuit of her passion, all of which is recounted in this beautifully presented picture book for readers seven and up.

Holly Harper is from Readings Carlton