The Curious Garden

PreS-Gr 3—A curious boy's discovery of a tiny garden in an otherwise gray and dismal city leads to amazing changes for him and for the whole neighborhood in this delightful tale by Peter Brown (Little Brown, 2009). While exploring, Liam finds a few plants struggling to grow on an elevated railroad track. The garden patiently endures his clumsy first attempts at becoming a gardener, and soon grows strong and restless to explore. In winter, Liam reads about gardening and plans for spring, and soon the curious plants start to spread to other parts of the grim, decaying city, causing new gardeners to "pop up" along with the flowers and trees. Brown's acrylic and gouache scenes are cleverly animated and accompanied by a lively musical track. Read-along subtitles are optional. In an interview with the author/illustrator, we learn that Brown was inspired to write this book when he accidentally discovered a lush garden growing amid industrial buildings on Manhattan's abandoned High Line. He hoped children would share his love of nature and be encouraged to find and appreciate the nature in their own neighborhoods. He demonstrates how he sketches and writes simultaneously, then uses acrylics to create the final pictures. The teacher's guide offers many ideas for discussion and related activities. The film's producers, Paul Gagne and Melissa Reilly Ellard, are winners of ALA's 2011 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video! —MaryAnn Karre, Horace Mann Elementary School, Binghamton, NY