What to look for in the Garden: Ladybird books exhibition, Garden Museum

Did you learn the names of garden birds from Ladybird books? Can you recall those bucolic illustrations of rivers winding through country villages, or of blossom trees and honeybees and children playing in fields?

The golden age of Ladybird illustrations is being celebrated at the Garden Museum this summer with an exhibition of the original artworks on loan from Penguin Random House. Taken from titles such as British Wildflowers, Garden Flowers, British Birds and their Nests, The Life of a Honey Bee, Pets and Trees, these images recall those tender years of discovery and memories of learning to read.

The success of these books is in part down to the care that went into making them. The nature series was written by naturalists and illustrated by serious artists (such as Royal Academician Charles Tunnicliffe) and the the resultant books accurately rendered the natural world and our relationship to it with charm and optimism.

This is very much a family-friendly exhibition with interactive activities for children including a nature hunt trail, creative workshops, storytelling, cupcake making, dressing up and lessons in plant life.

The exhibition is included with your £10 entry fee to the museum