Monday, April 12, 2021

What Happens When a Garden Starts Growing?

Our town library is open with limited hours, and of course my parents make sure we get in each week to find new stories. It's exciting to see all the great book displays. Spring is the theme in the library, and Margo was drawn to the cover of this week’s favorite. 

The Curious Garden was written and illustrated by Peter Brown. The unique looking trees and shrubs on the cover made me wonder if the book would be about a real or fantastical garden. I would love to read about both!

Liam lives in a dreary city. Most people stay inside, but he loves to be outside, no matter the weather or how gray the day seems. One day while out walking he notices stairs near the old railway, and he has to climb them to see where they lead. Liam is surprised to find dead plants among the broken railway. He can tell they need care even though he isn’t a gardener. Every day Liam tends to the garden. Sometimes he waters the plants too much and other days not enough. But he is learning. As the months go by, the garden flourishes and starts to spread out, growing along the old railway.  New plants and flowers bloom. Color is everywhere, until the snow comes. Liam plans during the winter, and when spring arrives he's ready with his tools to help the plants wake up from their sleep. It doesn’t take long before the plants are thriving, and each year they spread out more and more. The plants in the garden are curious and want to know what's out there, so they keep moving and expanding. More gardeners start helping take care of the plants and flowers. The city is coming alive with beauty, and it is fabulous to watch! 

The Curious Garden is a book that will make you want to get your hands in the soil and help nurture the plants! The illustrations are beautiful and it is fun to look at all the details included on each page. My little sister, Margo, had a blast because she could spot Liam, with his bright red hair, in every picture. She’d point and laugh, “There he is!” The story helps remind the reader how important it is to treat our planet with kindness. We can help make it a happier place. Each effort we make changes our surrounding, and others may even catch our enthusiasm. I love to grow plants, and seeing everything start blooming in the spring fills my heart with hope and happiness. Even though the seasons change and our greenery gets covered in blankets of snow, we know that the world will burst with color once again. It’s the perfect time to read this book and get inspired to help some plants reawaken and grow. We are already planning our garden and will get to work as soon as it warms up a bit (we need to let the bees and other bugs finish resting for a little longer). I know we will be reading this book a few more times before returning it to the library. It's impossible not to fall into the illustrations! 

Has anyone else read The Curious Garden? Or have you read another book written by Peter Brown? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!
~F

22 comments:

  1. There is something inspiring about watching plants flourish.

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  2. This sounds like a perfect book for spring. I wish we could go to our library and browse, but we just have contactless pick up of reserved books for now.

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    1. Natalie- It really is a great book for spring. I do love getting to browse in the library. They take lots of safety precautions. I hope you will get to browse again soon. :) ~F

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  3. I love to garden and miss our old garden of 22 years. There really is something about working with plants and the earth. Even pulling weeds feels fulfilling. Nice review of what seems quite an original book!

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    1. Elizabth- Weeding is very rewarding and so is tending to a garden. I can imagine it is hard to leave a garden after 22 years- but the memories stay with you. It is a great book! :) ~F

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  4. I love plants and we have many here, Also I love these ilustrations are lovely!

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    1. Gloria- I agree! The pictures are beautiful. Plants are the best. :) ~F

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  5. It sounds wonderful - and a big hooray for anything which inspires the gardening bug. Judging by the cover the illustrations are wonderful too.

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    1. EC- I agree- any book that helps inspire gardening is a winner. :) ~F

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  6. This sounds so good! And perfect for this time of year when I want to get in the garden and get my hands dirty. What a beautiful way to introduce kids to gardening. And it sounds like it has a lovely message too!

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    1. Jenni- It does have a great message! I got out into the garden once- but now it has been to cold or rainy. Hoping for some good gardening weather soon. :) Hope you can get out there soon too! ~F

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  7. This book makes me smile!! Thank you! Big Hugs!

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    1. Magic Love Crow- I am glad it makes you smile. Hugs back! :) ~F

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  8. I haven't seen this one yet, but now I'm curious :) I can imagine the illustrations are amazing. I will look for it!

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  9. This book really does sound good, and the illustrations look very nice too.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Jan- Glad it sounds good to you. I loved it. :) ~F

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  10. Hi J - this looks to be great fun ... and ideal for children to share with their parents, or uncles and aunts, or grandparents - while bringing a desolate patch of land to garden delight. The illustrations just are delightful representations - cheers Hilary

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    1. Hilary- I am glad you liked the book. Such a good book to share with different generations. Anything that gets people caring about gardening an growing vegetables and plants is a winner with me. :) ~F

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