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Emily Green’s Garden
Written by Penny Harrison
Illustrated by Megan Forward
Reviewed by Inda Ahmad Zabri
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Emily Green’s house, like all those on her street, is ‘perfectly lovely.’ She and her parents work hard to keep it spic and span, but a little green seedling, out of place in the sidewalk crack, ignites a spark in Emily. She starts to grow plants in her home, experimenting in pots, shoes, and on counter tops.
The book starts out in muted tones and colours. I wondered if the palette would become more vibrant as Emily’s garden started taking hold in her house, but instead I was taken by a new energy within the illustrations – Emily with her hands out wide, instead of politely on her knees. Leaves and boughs begin spilling over once-tidy surfaces and there is so much energy that everyone’s hair flies wildly in the abundance of nature.
This change of pace in the illustrations matches the the text, with a cadence that rolls off a reader’s tongue like the curling tendrils of a burgeoning plant. When before, they ‘scrubbed and dusted and polished,’ now they ‘play and explore and create.’
I love that the gardening inspires in Emily new and peculiar habits, which the adults – bent on tidiness and orderliness – were initially unable to cope with. Ultimately, the child’s curiosity and love of nature prevailed, suffusing the passion for gardens through her household and beyond.
This book is a good companion to titles such as Florette by Anna Walker and The Last Tree In The City by Peter Carnavas.
New Frontier Publishing 2018 Hardback $24.99 Age 3-6 ISBN 978-1-925594-24-9