PASSIONATE ABOUT SCHOOL LIBRARIES

Tag: Gardening

Book Review: What Grew In Larry’s Garden

What Grew in Larry’s Garden – Laura Alary and Kass Reich (ill) – Hachette Book Group – Published 7 April 2020

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Synopsis

Grace thinks Larry’s garden is one of the wonders of the world. In his tiny backyard next door to hers, Larry grows the most extraordinary vegetables. Grace loves helping him – watering and weeding, planting and pruning, hoeing and harvesting. And whenever there’s a problem – like bugs burrowing into the carrots or slugs chewing the lettuce – Grace and Larry solve it together. Grace soon learns that Larry has big plans for the vegetables in his special garden. And when that garden faces its biggest problem yet, Grace follows Larry’s example to find the perfect solution.

My thoughts

In this story about a little girl and a man with a garden sits a message about community and helping people to grow and flourish. Inspired by a true story, What Grew in Larry’s Garden is a book that shares a love of nature, problem solving and kindness.

Bright but soft illustrations bring the story to life in greens, browns and splashes of bright red watercolour.

There is much to cherish about this book. Initially it seems a simple story about a young girl who enjoys gardening with her older neighbour. I love the cross-generational friendship and the way the pair work together to creatively and kindly solve the problems they come across in their garden from bugs to squirrels. The tomato plants they grow together have a big future, though, and that’s where the true story comes into the book. Larry is a teacher and he grows tomato plants to share with his students. He then shares with Grace the letters they write to others as they give their tomato plants away. From overcoming broken friendships, sharing small acts of kindness, or giving thanks for service. The author shares a note at the back of the book explaining the inspiration of the book and how Larry’s work with his students and the giving away of tomato plants helped to grow a community and possibility within those students.

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Book Review: A Patch From Scratch

A Patch from Scratch – Megan Forward – Penguin/ Viking – Published 28 March 2017

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Synopsis

Jesse and Lewis want to grow their own fruit and vegies, just like people do on a farm. They’re going to dig and build, plant and grow, and when they’re finished they’re going to have a feast!

My thoughts

A Patch From Scratch is the story of Jesse who, with his mum and his dad and his big brother Lewis, creates a veggie patch.

There is something so deliciously earthy about this book, from the avocado-green end pages to the beige backgrounds on each page. This book is packed with heaps of content. The story flows nicely as the family first dream about their new veggie garden, then create a plan, begin building the chicken coop and raised garden bed, and start their planting. Everything from composting to companion planting, seed raising to pest control is covered within the story. There is enough information for this to become a wonderful guide for children who want to create their own veggie patch. Jesse even creates his own plant diary. The back of the book also contains information about the history of home veggie patches, where to find more information, the cycle of the veggie patch creation and maintenance and even some recipes to try.

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Book Review: The Secret of a Heart Note

The Secret of a Heart Note

The Secret of a Heart Note – Stacey Lee – Katherine Tegen Books – Published 27 December 2016

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Synopsis

Sometimes love is right under your nose. As one of only two aromateurs left on the planet, sixteen-year-old Mimosa knows what her future holds: a lifetime of weeding, mixing love elixirs, and matchmaking—all while remaining incurably alone. For Mim, the rules are clear: falling in love would render her nose useless, taking away her one great talent. Still, Mimosa doesn’t want to spend her life elbow-deep in soil and begonias. She dreams of a normal high school experience with friends, sports practices, debate club, and even a boyfriend. But when she accidentally gives an elixir to the wrong woman and has to rely on the lovesick woman’s son, the school soccer star, to help fix the situation, Mim quickly begins to realize that falling in love isn’t always a choice you can make.

My thoughts

I savoured this novel, delighting in the sights and vibrant smells of this love story. I loved disappearing into the lush, wonderful world Stacey Lee has created. It made me want to go and enjoy the garden, plant bulbs or run my hands through a lavender plant.

Mim is an aromateur, using her precise and extensive gift of smell to mix elixirs – love potions. But her gift comes at a price. Her mother has warned her many times over – if she falls in love she will lose her strong sense of smell and rob the world of one of its last aromateurs. Meanwhile, Mim just wants to finish high school, maybe convince her classmates she’s not an evil love witch, resist the pull of the charming and popular Court, and try not to cause too much chaos with her love potions.

I didn’t expect for the people around Mim to know about her being an aromateur, but her and her mother’s business is well know, if not understood. It makes for some interesting conversions between Mim and her classmates. I truly loved the world of smell in this novel. I liked how different smells meant different things and how they were all described and I loved how this was seamlessly interwoven into the story. I was happily immersed in Mim’s rich and detailed world.

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