It's time to celebrate another book birthday!!! And this one promises to pack inspiration as well as a practical idea, too.
The last days brought plenty of rain to our area...as in some roads were destroyed or flooded, but that seems to be the norm around here. Crazy, I know. At least, I don't have to backpack groceries in again, yet. (I wish I were joking)
Anyway, April showers bring May flowers (and happy cows), which also means the garden season is shifting up another gear. That makes today's read a perfect fit and will, hopefully, inspire young readers to head outside and have their own little garden. After all, gardens don't need much space and can come in the most ingenious forms.
So, let's dive in and see if this one has my green thumb glowing!
ROSIE'S GARDEN
by Olivia Coates
Illustrated by Samantha McLelland
EK Books
32 pages
ages 4 to 8
A little determination goes a long way in this inspiring story about creating green spaces and building community.
Rosie loves nothing more than to dig and spend time with people from her neighbourhood in the community garden. There’s Mr. Dellagatti who collects seeds, Annika who plays the violin, and even Esmeralda the chicken who likes worms for breakfast!
But when the garden is sold to the Big Boss of a city company, Rosie looks on helplessly as it is destroyed and replaced by a towering skyscraper. Where will her friends from the garden go now? And what will happen to Esmeralda now that her home is gone?
It’s going to take some unexpected teamwork and a whole lot of bravery, but maybe Rosie can find a solution that makes everyone happy.
Rosie’s Garden is an inspiring story about preserving nature and standing up for the things that are important to us. Through simple prose and beautiful illustrations, it explores themes of environmentalism, urbanization and community in a way that will engage younger readers and get them thinking about the world around them, and the role we can all play in protecting it. Essential reading for any little ones interested in nature, buildings, the outdoors – and digging!
MY TIDBITS
Rosie loves to dig in the neighborhood garden and joins her friends there often. When a company purchases the empty lot, destroys the garden, and builds a huge building, Rosie is more than disappointed. Still, she might be able to bring the garden back in a new way.
Tales surrounding city lots used for gardens, which are suddenly faced with the danger of being taken over by cold-hearted construction companies, aren't uncommon. This book, however, takes a slightly different twist, which adds a little innovation and inspiration to show that thinking out of the box can lead to wonderful solutions.
Readers will have no problem understanding Rosie's sadness as the garden is destroyed, and understand the reality that there's not really anything she can do to stop it. The situation never comes across as preachy and flows with just the right amount of heart and tension to keep readers invested in the story. The illustrations bring each scene to life with bright colors, clear emotions, and little details. This works well with the shorter text, which is age appropriate and short enough to make a nice read-aloud even for the younger end of the age group.
Not only does this read awaken awareness for gardens in city situations, but encourages readers to consider ways to grow plants, when ground is a limited resource. It also would work nicely for group settings as a lead-in to a planting project.
1 comment:
This sounds a lovely story introducing some good concepts to children to think about, and also how to make the best of a bad situation. Creepy-crawlies put me off gardening but I was much keener when I was a child! Thanks for sharing!
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