The Secret Garden: The magic of the outdoors

Title: The Secret Garden
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Illustrator: Inga Moore
Age Range: ages 8-12 (possibly age 6+ if read aloud and discussed)

In a world that is overflowing with technology, media, video games, and entertainment, it is hard to understand the appeal of a garden.  However, on a recent visit to my parents' house in Southern California, I've discovered that my children, all three of them enjoy a beautiful garden in a way I would have never had expected them to.  They go outside, water the plants, pick up different flowers, admire the flower petals, smell roses, pick fruit and just enjoy the beautiful space outside that my parents have created and maintain with their hard work.  Every evening, we would go outside and the kids would find something new to look at in the garden, something new to pick up, a secret corner to explore and a new flower to discover.  The backyard garden is a magical place for them and it warmed my mother's heart to see them enjoying a space that she and my father had worked so hard to create.

And it was with that vision in mind that reminded me of this book, one of my personal favorites as a child.  I'm sure I read this book at least 20 times if not more, and adored every single read I did of the book.  The book captures the experience of a young girl, Mary, who has been recently orphaned and who has not really ever received much love in her life.  Mary is then sent to live with a cold distant uncle who doesn't really have any idea how to raise and deal with children.  The house is a beautiful large home, but with no heart in it and filled with sad mysteries and pain.  Mary begins unraveling some of the mysteries, including discovering a cousin, Colin who is an invalid and unable to leave his bed. 

Mary also begins befriending some people in the house, and makes a friend with Dickon, who happens to be the most wonderful person of all, because he understands the world of living creatures and plants.  With Dickon's help, Mary begins reviving a garden that has long been locked away and neglected and with her love and devotion, she brings it back to life.  In addition, Colin also discovers his own power of his legs and begins to walk.  Through the garden and Mary's love, the house is restored to one of joy and the family is made to be whole.

This is a magical book about the healing power of the outdoors.  It also is a testament to the power of love and devotion and the amazing power of purpose and joy.  it is a wonderful read, a classic with rich vocabulary, details and wonderful narrative.  It is not a flash in the pan book, and it is rather dense in its text, but it is absolutely wonderful and a must read for any child. 

The beautiful hardback version with gorgeous illustrations


Paperback version, same text, no illustrations

Zinnia's Flower Garden: For the green thumb wannabe in me

Title:  Zinnia's Flower Garden
Author: Monica Wellington
Illustrator: Monica Wellington
Age Range: 3-5
Genre: Picture books

I generally kill plants.  I can't keep them alive.  Both my parents have green thumbs, evidenced by the beautiful gardens that they maintain, but I do not do well at growing things.  As such, my daughters don't really understand the concept of growing and maintaining a garden, which is one reason why I love this book so much.

In this book, Zinnia decides to create a beautiful flower garden.  She goes through all the steps of turning over the dirt, removing the stones, making rows, planting seeds, watering, and then waiting for the flowers to bloom.  At the end, when all of her flowers are blooming, she sets up a little stand and allows people to come in and pick a bucket of flowers, sharing her beautiful floral bounty.  When my 4 year old daughter saw that, she said, "I wish I could have a garden like that to share flowers with everyone."  It made my heart sink a bit, because I knew that it wasn't likely going to be in her future, given where we live.

In addition, there are illustrations explaining the life cycle of the butterfly, different types of clouds, and diagrams identifying the many different parts of the flowers.  The illustrations are very cute and informative and provide an additional layer of information, for someone who is a bit older.  The illustrations combine use of photographs of real plants as well as beautiful colorful bright art.  The eye is immediately drawn to the book for its of color and contrast.

It's a cute little gem of a book, especially wonderful for anyone who WANTS to learn how to create a garden, or perhaps for someone who wishes to have their own garden but cannot.