The Curious Garden by Peter Brown, as reviewed by Freaky

I will happily admit to being biased toward this book from the beginning. I am a big fan of any book that advocates greening things up. As a turtle, I enjoy a nice rock in the hot sun as much as the next guy, but then I want to go swimming and hide in some greenery, know what I mean? Living in southern New Mexico it drives me absolutely CRAZY when people plant rocks because they are too lazy to water their grass. Don't they know that just makes everything hotter???

Rant and bias aside, this is an absolutely delightful book, based at least partly on real life. A little boy named Liam discovers a few tiny plants struggling to survive on an abandoned railway, in a dark, dismal city. He decides to help the plants in their quest for survival, and things literally blossom from there. Kids will enjoy tracing the path of the railway through the town, and comparing before and after scenes. Hopefully, the fantastic illustrations will also inspire kids (and their grown-ups) to find a spot they can green up themselves. Very much recommended for any bookshelf!



For a similar book, and another of my favorites, try: