The Imaginary Garden - Hardcover

Larsen, Andrew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1554532795 ISBN 13: 9781554532797

Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2009

Synopsis

Theodora loved her grandfather's old garden. His new apartment's balcony is too windy and small for a garden. But what appears to be a drawback soon leads to a shared burst of creativity as Theo and her Poppa decide to paint a new garden. As they work side by side --- sowing seeds with brushes and paint --- a masterpiece begins to take shape that transforms the balcony into an abundant garden.

When Poppa goes away on holiday, Theo helps nurture the garden and it begins to take on a life of its own. This garden grows not from soil but from love, imagination and creativity.

Readers will marvel at each stage of this fertile garden as it grows from seed to full flower, revealing the power of art to enrich our lives.

About this title

About the Author

Andrew Larsen is the author of The Imaginary Garden and Bella and the Bunny. He is a stay-at-home father who finds time to write between laundry and lunch. He lives in Toronto, Canada.

Irene Luxbacher is an artist and the author-illustrator of The Jumbo Book of Art, The Jumbo Book of Outdoor Art, the Starting Art series and Mattoo, Let's Play! She also illustrated The Imaginary Garden for Kids Can Press. She lives in Toronto.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Theodora loved sitting with her grandfather, Poppa, in the big garden of his old house, and she feels sad that his new apartment has no yard, just a tiny balcony that Poppa says is “too windy for flowers.” Then Theo thinks of a solution: “We could have an imaginary garden!” Poppa rests a broad canvas against a protected wall of the balcony, and after donning gardening boots and hats, he and Theo take up paint and brushes and create a glorious landscape of grass and flowers, beginning with the first buds of the season. When Poppa goes away on holiday, Theo is charged with caring for the garden, and she takes her responsibility seriously, adding more blooms and, in a final gentle image, two chairs, just like the ones she and Poppa enjoyed at his old house. As in Crockett Johnson’s classic Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955), this title, written in appealingly simple, polished language, picks up on a common picture-book subject: the power of a child’s imagination to transform a drawn world into one that feels magically real. Luxbacher’s multimedia collage artwork has an unusual charm, with its winsome, loving characters; interesting perspectives; and riotously colored gardens, which are a moving metaphor for the characters’ fertile imaginations as well as the special relationship they share. As fresh and vibrant as a spring bouquet, this joyous offering will delight children, particularly young artists, throughout the year. Preschool-Grade 1. --Gillian Engberg

About this edition

• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1554532795
• ISBN 13: 9781554532797
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Luxbacher Irene