The Magical Garden of Claude Monet

Book Description

Julie is a happy little girl who lives in Paris, but she wishes she could walk in a country garden. Julie is pleased when her mother decides to take her to visit the most wonderful garden in the world, owned by a great friend of the family. They arrive at their destination, and for this little girl it is like walking in a dreamy world where twisting plants grow as tall as trees. When Julie's dog runs away, she asks the gardener to help find her pet, and soon she and the gardener are friends. But this amiable, bearded old man is a very unusual gardener, for not only does he cultivate his many plants, he also paints beautiful pictures of them. Julie has made a friend of the great impressionist painter, Claude Monet. Based on a true story about the daughter of another fine artist, Berthe Morisot, this charmingly illustrated picture book includes reproductions by author-illustrator Laurance Anholt of a famous waterlilies painting, which Monet completed in his garden at Giverny, a few miles from Paris.

Customer Reviews:

Magical Garden inspired my students.......2006-08-12

Anholt's lovely book about Monet is my favorite of the series about famous artists. He demystifies impressionism and actually inspires children to paint their own "magical gardens"!!

Art Appreceation for children.......2005-11-11

Fine art apprecation was a lost thing among adults let alone children, encouraging an understanding of art at a young age will encorage intrest in art in children and their caregivers alike. Help kids enjoy art and culture while reading a fun story. With this book, (and the others in the series) they introduce kids to the famous artworks of great painters throughout history while encoraging a childs imagination to be creative and tell a story with each picture.

This story is even better because it is based on factual people, even the little girl. She embarks on a journey with her mother to visit a friend..the little girl ends up chasing her runaway dog on the trip and finds herself in a most magnificent garden..only to find out that is the "friend" they were going to visit. This book is wonderful, historical, educational, and fun. It encourages children to think about paintings, and to form images and stories for each one, to think about "what would it be like to be inside that painting".

Great for Toddlers.......2005-08-13

The Magical Garden of Claude Monet is a great way to expose young children to impressionist art. My son loved the story of Julie in Monet's garden. Julie is a young French girl who takes a train with her Mother to visit Monet's garden. As they arrive into the countryside, her dog runs away and is found in Monet's garden. Soon the painter and Julie become friends. The illustrations are bright and colorful. You almost feel as if you are inside one of Monet's paintings. Children will be captivated by the story as well as the beautiful pictures.

Breathtaking journey for children into Monet's paintings.......2004-10-16

I have long been a fan of Linnea in Monet's Garden - so I was very excited to find this new series of books by Laurence Anholt. Anholt's approach to introducing children to these artists - he has covered Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, Degas, and DaVinci - is to use their art to create the backgrounds and settings for his characters. This book in particular is my favorite of the series because it is crowned with a fold out of Monet's vivid Waterlilies with a tiny boat floating across it carrying the story's members - Monet and a little girl who happens upon his garden. Before it is over, the little girl plucks one of the lilies from the famous painting as a memoir. My daughter loves this picture - and it is almost surreal to me to see Monet's art coming to life in such a manner. I can hardly wait until she visits the museum and sees the real painting. Watching her make this connection should be very exciting.

Aside from this stunning mixture of Monet's work and Anholt's own lush artwork - carefully drawn to compliment the featured art - the book gives some great educational information about Monet by weaving it into the story - all this without ever starting to sound like a textbook. The story retains its' focus and its' charm without becoming boring. That is an amazing accomplishment in my opinion.

I hope to purchase the entire set for a lovely and educational Christmas gift. These are sure to become beloved classics. Any children's book that learns to entertain both child and parent equally often does.

Lily's Pesky Plant (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

Average customer rating:

A Great Book!
I couldn't put this book down, and either can you!!
SIMPLY adorable!!!

Lily's Pesky Plant (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
Kirsten Larsen
Manufacturer: RH/Disney
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0736423745
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Book Description

Lily has a talent for making things grow. So when she finds a mysterious seed in the middle of the woods, she plants it. But the seedling that comes up is not anything Lily expected. It stinks and it oozes sap. Will Lily have to pull up her poor pesky plant?

Customer Reviews:

A Great Book!.......2006-05-11

Opinion: I liked this book more than The Trouble with Tink, but not as much as I liked Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg and Vidia and the Fairy Crown though. Lily is much better than I imagined her to be and so is her story. Lily's friend Iris is funny and sensitive, making the story have a deeper meaning than just what you're expecting. This made the sory mean more to me.

Summery: Lily is on a walk, she told her "friend" Iris she was looking for possum ferns just to get away from her. Although she does see a possum fern, she also finds a strange seed. Being a garden talent fairy, Lily can't help but plant it. Since Iris dosn't have a garden, Lily decides to let Iris help her out. But, although Lily and Iris would be heart broken to uproot the plant, they might not be able to help it. Although all the garden talent fairies are trying to defend her, Queen Clarion and the other fairies want it uprooted now! But, the garden talant fairies and Tinker Bell can't outnumber the rest of the fairies, so they might lose, especially if Vidia can help it. Vidia hates this "vile" plant. But is it really what they thought it was? This will ever puzzle them by the mysterious plants likeing and life cycle.

I couldn't put this book down, and either can you!!.......2006-03-12

Reporter's Opinion: I thought that this was one of those books that you can't put down no matter what! I really couldn't put it down, so I read it all in one night! I was a really, really great book!

Summary: Lily is one of the best Garden-talent fairies in all of Pixie Hollow. When she was walking in the forest, she found a seed that she never heard of. She decided to plant it in her garden. The next day after she planted it, all of Pixie Hollow smelled bad because of it. The next day, it let off pink pollen that made everyone and everything in Pixie Hollow pink and sneeze. The fairies and sparrow men were about to cut it down, but Lily said to let it live one more day. That evening, it grew fruit. She tried it, and it was delicious. Lily told the fairies and sparrow men to try it, and they all loved it! After you pi a fruit, another one comes in it's place. Lily asked her Garden-talent fairy friend, Iris what kind of tree it was. Iris looked in her book and it was an Ever Tree. All of them were destroyed, but now they know that there is one left. Everyone comes to get fruit from it. It was a good plant after all!

SIMPLY adorable!!!.......2006-01-10

I have read The trouble with Tink, the Berry battle and I think this one is my favorite of the 3!! all are great books though.
They have really done the Fairy series right with THESE books.
I loved the magic Fairy dust created, BUT they stepped up and just made it better! The characters are people you really connect with, and fall in love with. YOu gain a better understanding of the talents. They make sense and seem to have more of a purpose. The fairy world just got brighter.
If you were not a fan of Levine's fairy dust, I do reccomend giving these books a try. It is an improvement!
The illustrations are great too! with the Help of Disney artists, the pictures are a pure delight!

The Pursuit (The English Garden Series #4)

Average customer rating:

Another winner
Unexpected story!
Lori Wick definetely fails to please with this one
A Different Type
Amateurish and awkward

The Pursuit (The English Garden Series #4)
Lori Wick
Manufacturer: Harvest House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0736909125

Book Description

Edward Steele is at last on his way home and determined to be in Collingbourne before Christmas—but that was before he met Denley and Osborne.

Sailing from Africa to England, Edward meets these two very different men aboard ship. Osborne chooses to ignore everyone while Denley and Edward find themselves much together. But as their journey continues, Denley begins to feel unwell. By the time the ship stops in Lisbon, Portugal, he is very sick indeed.

Not able to ignore his traveling companion’s plight, Edward abandons his goal of going home and disembarks with Denley and Osborne. He never dreams that his association with them will lead to the mysterious Nicola Bettencourt, a woman who captivates and confounds him in equal measures.

Customer Reviews:

Another winner.......2006-01-10

I loved this Lori Wick book, the entire English series is one I enjoyed, and have reread a couple times already, this book however touched on a mothers heart, and how far she would go to keep her children safe. It touched on trust and letting people close to us. And ultimately trusting the Lord to provide what we most need and desire. This was defintely a worthwhile read.

Unexpected story!.......2005-11-17

I am a big fan of stories from this era, and I really enjoyed all four books in this series. This one in particular had a really interesting plot that I would not have expected. I live in reality... I don't need a story to further dwell on that. I enjoy that Lori's books are so ideal, so perfect. I don't mind that the characters aren't "believeable" as some have criticized. That's exactly why I read them! It's fun to escape. And yet in the story there are neat twists and turns. They aren't completey predictable. I recommend this book highly. And I enjoy that the characters you meet as the series goes along are main characters in later books. That is a very neat aspect. By the time you read the later books, you've developed a "caring" for the characters and can't wait to see what happens in their lives. I do recommend reading the books in order. I skipped book 2 because I didn't own it and read it last. I wish I hadn't. It isn't necessary, but I think you miss out when those characters pop up in the later books.

Lori Wick definetely fails to please with this one.......2004-11-22

Although I love Lori Wick's earlier works, her latest english series was disapointment after dissapointment with each new book. The beginning starts off with some hope to redeem the series, but by the middle it becomes all to predictable and juet like her other works. If you want a good Lori Wick read Pretense or Princess; however, she obviously proves with this one that she is past her prime and out of clever ideas.

A Different Type.......2004-05-10

The Pursuit is quite an exceptional book for the Christian fiction genre. It deals with the issue of a woman, dressing as a man, who is on the run from someone or something. The book takes the normal Wick layout of the two main characters' meeting and falling in love. This book is an extremely easy read, it flows incredibly well so that you do not know you have been reading the book for hours. While it is an easy and quick read, it also does not stray from the normal romance novel plot line. It is a very predictable book. The characters again are normal for a romance novel. One of them always has either a big secret of is incredibly rich, well in this book , you have both. this book lacks no big shock or action in this book, and everything stays with the general plot line. I would recommend this book if and only if you like the romance plot line.

Amateurish and awkward.......2004-04-21

This is the first and last Lori Wick book for me. The Characters were shallow, simple puppets moving through a prescribed series of very boring events. I found myself skimming through great portions of the chapters involving characters I can only assume were part of other books in her series, but which I found extraneous and irritating here. There also seemed to be a serious lack of real research for a historical piece, with anachronisms abounding. I found the protagonists simplistic, and their actions overwrought for the situation. The twin's grandmother,(the villain here) was very one-note, with no attempt on the author's part to make her a real person. Instead she appears as almost an afterthought used to explain the ridiculously melodramatic and circuitous actions of the boys mother. Not worth the paper it's printed on, or the time I wasted forcing my way though it.

Average customer rating:

Don't waste your time
Enthralling
To say this is terrible would be an understatement!
A Late Bloomer's Adventures
Is This a Joke?

Into the Garden (Wildflowers)
V.C. Andrews
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0671007718

Book Description

THEY BEGAN AS STRANGERS -- FOUR TEENAGE GIRLS WITH NOTHING IN COMMON BUT THEIR MISERABLE CHILDHOODS. SOON, THEY WOULD REALIZE THAT THEIR SECRET PASTS HAD BOUND THEM TOGETHER FOREVER....

Misty, Star, Jade, and Cat first came together in Dr. Marlowe's group therapy sessions. They trusted no one but each other -- and even that bond was fragile at best. One by one, each of the Wildflowers told her own story and bravely unveiled the inner wounds inflicted by years of lies, deceit, and untold family secrets; each revealed the shocking tales of how their parents hurt them, used them, or simply abandoned them. And as they shared their darkest feelings, they no longer felt like lost souls with nowhere to turn. Finally, years of loneliness and pain gave way to the realization that someone else in this world understood them. But then the sessions ended, and the girls didn't know if they would ever see each other again.

Now they are coming together one more time. Jade has sent out invitations to her parents' mansion -- the sprawling, opulent home that served as a battleground for much of her young life. There, the four will rekindle their bonds of friendship and trust. But this time, away from Dr. Marlowe's watchful eye, it will be different. Today, in the mansion's attic, Star, Jade, Cat, and Misty will take each other's hands and swear to tell the real truth -- the shattering secrets that lie deep within them like smoldering coals. And once the darkest secret of all is spoken aloud, there will be no turning back. For there may be some things the Wildflowers should leave buried forever....

Customer Reviews:

Don't waste your time.......2007-08-06

++**Warning Spoilers Ahead**++

This book is a real doosie, by far the worst V C Andrews book I have read so far, the story was unrealistic and totally unbelievable. I have a fair idea where the Andrews Ghost writer pulled this book from (ie. somewhere that the sun does not shine).

"Into The Garden" continues the saga of the "Wildflowers series" specifically following the character Cathy "Cat". The novel has a good start, delving into lost secrets of Cat's family, in true Andrews fashion. But the novel takes a strange turn when Cat's mother mysteriously dies and the four friends (Cat, Misty, Jade and Star) decide that instead of reporting the death to the police they should bury the body in the back yard. The premise to this decision is that this will save Cat from going into foster care, and as a bonus the girls can use Cat's house as their very own clubhouse, for the purpose of throwing parties and sleeping with boys.

The bizaar thing about this story is the lack of regard and remorse these friends show throughout the novel, and the rash decision of disposing the body without little thought to consequences. At seventeen you would think that they had some brains rattling around in their head, but apparently these girls have no intelligence and no concious at all. Perhaps these "Orphans With Parents" family problems and abandonment actually stemmed from their parents realising that their daughters were born without souls. Can people really be that unconciable??

The ending is also bizaar with a slapped together sum up, which features the return of Dr. Marlow.

Overall, this book gives this reader the feeling that the author gave little thought to the plot and just wrote down any old thing in his head as he went along.

Trully one of the worst reads I've had in a while.

Enthralling.......2004-09-27

These girls aren't like the "Runaway" girls. But they make some shocking decisions. As soon as you read the book, you feel the chill it contains. I thought the senario was going to be predictable. Kind of like in the first four V.C. Andrews series. But when Geroldine suddenly died, I knew this book would take a wirl of exicitment. The characters are unrealistic, and I am surprised they even got along. But they pulled through the hard times.

When Cat and her friends buried Geri, it showed how naive they were to try and cover up the truth. I guess hat's what it took, to keep Cat from living with foster parents. They were all very naive, but halarious! You will question the audacity, these girls have! They have some major nerve.

To say this is terrible would be an understatement!.......2004-04-23

This was, perhaps, one of the worst books I'd ever read in my entire life. It started off as good, but immediately went downhill as soon as they buried the mother in the backyard (can't they get into serious trouble for that?). In fact, it was so bad I couldn't even finish it, and usually, I'm the type to finish what I start. It's totally unrealistic, vapid, and the characters aren't even people you can care about.

This book makes me cringe just thinking about it.

Don't buy, if you know what's good for you, but if you'll read any trash, go ahead and waste your money. Don't say I didn't warn you.

A Late Bloomer's Adventures.......2004-02-02

Cat really did come out of her shell in this book. I was glad when she went to the brunch at Jade's house. As for Geraldine, good riddance. It was a shock that Howard was going to pin his killing Geraldine on Cat if she (C) didn't do what he said. As for Stuart, his big loss when he didn't come around after all things came out. I was glad when Dr. Marlowe got custody of Cat. I hope to hear a story about Cat's college adventures.

Is This a Joke?.......2004-01-05

Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away, outside the outer limits, somewhere in the twilight zone, there lived four girls, all with weird names. Misty, Star, Jade and Cat, were all products of bad homes. Bad homes with bad parents. After therapy wraps up, they want to stay friends, and so when Cat's adoptive Mother/sister/not-real-sister, decides to die, the girls get together and bury her in Cat's back yard. Anything to keep Cat out of a foster home and get a clubhouse for themselves.

No one knows the woman is dead until the girls confess it, to save Cat from danger. And here's the funny part. That backyard/graveyard was in Beverly Hills. 90210.

Now, here is why you should not read this book. You should not read this book, because it is bad. As in poorly written, unrealistic, and just foolish. The charaters talk like professers from Harvard and act like the kids on Barney. It's one long 300 page joke.

Average customer rating:

Educational and Fun

Wonderful teaching book

Tim and Sally's Vegetable Garden
Grady Thrasher
Manufacturer: HIll Street Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1588181316

Book Description

Tim and Sally's Vegetable Garden
Grady Thrasher
Illustrations by Elaine Hearn Rabon
Join Tim and Sally as they embark on a learning adventure about the joys of vegetable gardening. Written in verse and perfect for early readers, in Tim and Sally's Vegetable Garden, Grady Thrasher teaches the mechanics of planning and sowing a garden through the eyes of children experiencing it for the first time.
"This wonderfully written and stunningly illustrated children's book of verse is about gardening of the soil-and of the soul. Readers will discover an abundant harvest of joy flourishing among its pages." -Terry Kay

Customer Reviews:

Educational and Fun.......2007-09-30

I love this book- It is delightfully illustrated and delightfully written. Both educational and entertaining it uses an enchanting poetic approach to explain a fun experience in glowing detail. I particularly enjoy superbly written young children's books that are not just fluff. This one makes learning a joyous experience. it may also whet a child's interest for many "planting" activities.

Wonderful teaching book.......2007-06-20

Reading "Tim and Sally's Vegetable Garden" with your kids is a wonderful way to cultivate and encourage an interest in gardening. It is a warm story about family and love that has the added bonus of teaching kids the basic tenets of vegetable gardening. My family loves reading this bok and the illustrations are magnificent. Great children's book - I highly recommend it!

Average customer rating:

Floridius Bloom & The Planet of Gloom
Great Book!

Floridius Bloom and The Planet of Gloom
Lorijo Metz
Manufacturer: Dial Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0803730845
Release Date: 2007-04-05

Book Description

Floridius Bloom has found a source of light on his planet of Gloom and he's not sharing it with anyone. He's even built a wall so that no one else can see it! Of course, Floridius is convinced that he needs it for his prize cherriflox to blossom. Not to mention the fact that he's afraid of the monsters and the wigglyfluffs that lie beyond his wall. But when Floridius meets a curious creature named Zrill who invites him to come out from his self-imposed isolation, Floridius begins to understand that beauty is a thing to be shared . . . and friendship can supply its own kind of light.

With warm and comforting illustrations, lilting rhyme, and a life lesson offered with a light touch, this picture book debut for both author and illustrator has all the makings of a classic.

Customer Reviews:

Floridius Bloom & The Planet of Gloom.......2007-05-08

This is a charming and delightful book, perfect reading for 2nd and 3rd graders. Floridius begins the story as a selfish and self centered individual. As the story continues, Floridius experiences what community and friendship can offer and he recognizes that the absence of
these things have made him very lonely. Read the story to see how Floridius becomes a loving, giving and happy person. 2nd and 3rd graders really get it! (And smart 1st graders do, too!) This is my grandchildren's favorite new book.

Great Book!.......2007-04-13

I just purchased this book for my 7 yr. old son, and he just LOVED it! It's always cool to see new "monsters" in picture books. And we just loved Floridius's grumpiness. The illustrations are really well done as well. I look forward to more from this author.

Average customer rating:

Excellent little novel
A literature that the none-literature readers will love.

The Secret Garden: (Abridged, Reissue)
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0394864670
Release Date: 1987-05-12

Book Description

Illus. in full color. A storybook edition of Burnett's classic tale about the healing power of love.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent little novel.......1998-02-11

For children, this is a superb read. Rest assured, though, it gets better with age. As my all-time favorite book, I even bought a special-edition hardcover to pass on to my own little girl. 'The Secret Garden' is a delightful story that can be interpreted on a variety of levels, from a beautiful little story to an intensely moving classic, and each time it is read a new Truth can be derived. I highly recommend 'The Secret Garden' to both children and adults, preferably read from childhood into adulthood.
As an aside, unfortunately the movie version of 'The Secret Garden' is no match for the book. It presents a trite and overacted children's piece that isn't suitable for idiots. I wouldn't subject my child to it.

A literature that the none-literature readers will love........1997-07-14

It's amazing for me to read a book in tree days and want to read it again.I'm a Chinese,but I just can't resist the story line printed on the cover,and I bought a English version.I thought I can read it slowly and prectice my English,but I finished in only three days. Three person who can't love and got together in a great house.Mary,Collin,and Mr.Craven was teached what love is and how to love others by theyselves and by a magical natual-love boy,Dickon.And finally the great house bathed in terror came bake to the arm of the love. I can't write too much about this book.The ending will make you laugh with happiness and make you cry moved by the ending. You really should not only read it,but also own one.

Garden Reflections: Friendship Is Sunshine in a Garden Daybrightener

Average customer rating:

Garden Reflections: Friendship Is Sunshine in a Garden Daybrightener
In House Compilation
Manufacturer: Garborg's Heart 'n Home
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Calendar

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ASIN: 1583758410

The Secret Garden (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

Average customer rating:

A classic for girls
Classic
Seeds the child's imagination...
The Secret Garden
Spellbinding Book

The Secret Garden (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679847510
Release Date: 1993-08-31

Amazon.com

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12)

Book Description

The story of an unhappy little girl, her invalid cousin, and the healing power of friendship and love. Reading level: 4.8.

Customer Reviews:

A classic for girls.......2007-09-22

The Secret Garden is a book about a spoiled girl who uncovers the mysteries of the house around her which include, but are not limited too, what is behind the wall, and why is it kept secret. It is a good classic, but girls will enjoy it much more than boys do.

Classic.......2007-08-06

Even if you are an adult you should reread this book. Helps you to see how fun it was to be a kid.

Seeds the child's imagination..........2007-07-29

This has always been one of my favorite books since childhood. When I read my first story in this book it gave me so much inspiration to use my imagination as a child should. A child's imagination is so real! This reality soon takes the form of abstract, which paves the road to anywhere he wants it to go - or not...

The Secret Garden.......2007-07-05

This edition is printed on really cheap, unappealing paper. I can't imagine anyone wanting to give this version of a children's classic as a gift, or even to read from it to a child yourself.

Spellbinding Book.......2007-07-03

This book is the best book I have ever read. It's a light, happy book that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Ilove the theme of hope in the book, that will convince readers about the Magic inside themselves...if they hope. If they believe something will happen, it will. That theme is so beautifully conveyed. I couldn't put it down, and it is most definitely my new favorite book. A MUST READ!!!!!!!!

I ALSO RECCOMEND THE FOLLOWING:
Arthur and the Invisibles, Artemis Fowl Series, The Book Without Words, The Kingdom Keepers, the Prophecy of the Stones, The Game of Sunken PLaces, Midnight Blue

Average customer rating:

Good for a child interested in art and flowers

Mr. Goethe's Garden
Diana Cohn
Manufacturer: Bell Pond Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0880105216

Book Description

"To know someone here and there who thinks and feels with us, and though distant is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden" (Goethe).

Mr. Goethe's Garden is the story of the friendship between an inquisitive young girl and her elderly neighbor, the world-famous playwright, artist and natural scientist Johann von Goethe. Set in the 1830s, the girl visits Mr. Goethe in his well-tended garden, where she is taught to draw and to look at the world of nature in a very special way.

"Like friends, plants tell you their secrets only when they know you care. Just practice listening with your eyes, and one day when you least expect it, you will see with your heart and be swept up into nature's dance" (Goethe).

Set in the 1830s, this book was inspired by Goethe's life and his botanical treatise "The Metamorphosis of the Plant." It contains exquisite, sensitive illustrations and elegant text that reveal the intricate wonders of the plant kingdom. As the bonds of friendship between the girl and her wise, kindly neighbor grow stronger, young readers experience with her a new way of seeing the natural cycle of the plant—from seed to flower to fruit and to seed again.

Customer Reviews:

Good for a child interested in art and flowers.......2007-10-01

This book celebrates nature and art, in particular the process of drawing flowers. The story introduces the reader to a real person, but only some basic and vague information about him. The focus of the book is on the girl's own growing interest in drawing nature. (There is biographical information in the back of the book to supplement the story). The illustrations are the strongest feature of the book. For parents of young and/or sensitive children: note that Mr. Goethe dies during the course of the story. It is handled gently and it's part of the girl's maturation process, but I myself was a bit shocked when reading it since she becomes quite attached to him. My 5-year old daughter was OK with it. She enjoyed the book and we will probably read it from time to time, but I can't say it's a huge favorite. I almost chose 3 stars but leaned towards 4 because it is unique and thoughtful.

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