Enchantment in the Garden (Red Fox Picture Books) - Softcover

Hughes, Shirley

3.87

53 ratings by Goodreads

9780099644415: Enchantment in the Garden (Red Fox Picture Books)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 009964441X ISBN 13: 9780099644415

Publisher: Red Fox, 2007

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Shirley Hughes is best known for her stories for younger children. However, in Enchantment in the Garden she shows her talent for creating longer, deeper stories for older children to enjoy. This is the tale of a lonely young girl's magical friendship with the marble statue of a boy which comes to life, and whose friendship has a lasting impact upon her.

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About the Author:

Shirley Hughes has written more than 200 books, creating enduring characters like Alfie and Dogger, who have thrilled children and adults alike with their tales of growing up and everyday discovery. Her many awards include the Kate Greenaway Medal and the prestigious Eleanor Farjeon Award for her services to children's literature.

From Kirkus Reviews:

A storybook with echoes of Frances Hodgson Burnett--absentee parents, a lonely girl, an orphan who blossoms while working in a garden, children who meet clandestinely, away from the governess's eyes--from Hughes, who illustrated an edition of The Secret Garden: all the elements of an old-fashioned read, but precious and out-of-date. This lengthy fantasy is set in Italy in the early part of this century, where Valerie is guarded by her governess. Her father tends the hotels and restaurants he owns; her mother lives for parties. After Valerie communes with a statue of a boy on a dolphin, the boy comes to life, taking the name Cherubino and revealing himself to be the son of a sea god. Disgusted by the conditions of the seaside, Cherubino leaves to take his place as a god of the sea, but he and Valerie are certain they will meet again. Hughes's illustrations of Italian architecture and landscapes are delightful, but children may not be engrossed by the travelogue-style descriptions: ``a great, white palace set among palm trees and lush foliage, its domes and pinnacles melting into the blue haze.'' An obvious labor of love, the story has so many disparate components--Valerie's solitude, Cherubino as a stranger to be shunned, an ecological message about the cluttered seaside, romance, enchantment--that readers can't settle into it, or even believe in the connection between the two children. (Fiction. 5-8) -- Copyright �1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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