Children’s Book Review: The Curious Garden
August 4, 2009 by Karlynn Johnston
Filed under Book Nook
As an avid, albeit learning gardener myself, this beautiful book immediately caught my attention. Then once we started reading it, it warmed the cockles of my green-lovin’ heart right to the core. Liam is a young boy who lives in drab, grey city which lacked any trees or greenery. One day while strolling in the rain, he found a small patch of color, some wildflowers and plants growing beside an old train track. The story follows Liam and the garden through spring,summer and fall..then into the winter. The next spring, not only his garden popped up, but new gardeners as well, learning to enjoy and beautify their drab city. And of course, by the end, after many years,the city is green and growing, as it should be.
Reading level: ages 4-8
Page Count: 40 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (April 1 2009)
What to expect: gorgeous illustrations, a fantastic “green” underlying theme for early readers.
Publisher’s synopsis: One boy’s quest for a greener world… one garden at a time.
While out exploring one day, a little boy named Liam discovers a struggling garden and decides to take care of it. As time passes, the garden spreads throughout the dark, gray city, transforming it into a lush, green world.
This is an enchanting tale with environmental themes and breathtaking illustrations that become more vibrant as the garden blooms. Red-headed Liam can also be spotted on every page, adding a clever seek-and-find element to this captivating picture book.
About the Author: Peter Brown is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA and now lives in Brooklyn, NY. His Web site is www.somebrownstuff.com.
Our Rating: 5 out of 5
Related posts:
