Quick Look
- A quintessential Gerda Muller picture book (creator of A Year Around the Great Oak and How Does My Garden Grow?) which cleverly combines fiction and non-fiction
- Anna and Benjamin learn all about planting, harvesting, pruning, planning and caring for their new garden
- Gerda Muller's detailed and brilliantly accurate botanical illustrations will fascinate and delight young and old gardeners alike
- Real gardening tips and fun facts sit alongside a charming seasonal story, inspiring children to explore their own gardens
- This premium new edition of an USSBY Outstanding International Book features a handsome dust jacket, hand-designed end papers and luxury paper
Anna and Benjamin learn how to grow their new garden in this delightful seasonal story. Includes gardening facts and tips plus detailed botanical illustrations. An USSBY Outstanding International Book by Gerda Muller, creator of the Seasons board books.
Description
Anna and Benjamin's family have just moved to a new house and can't wait to turn their messy grass into a beautiful garden, but first they must plan, plant and learn how to care for it.
With the help of their neighbour Louis, the children grow beautiful flowers and tasty vegetables and discover the amazing wildlife living in their new garden.
As the seasons change, Anna and Benjamin learn about all the wonderful things you can do in a garden: planting, harvesting, playing, enjoying picnics and spotting insects.
Alongside the charming story, A Year in Our New Garden also gives real gardening tips accompanied by beautifully detailed illustrations. This delightful and lively book will inspire children to get outdoors, be active and learn how nature changes around them through the year.
Reviews
Honoured as a USBBY Outstanding International Book
'The perfect companion for children who love to discover nature year around. I can't imagine a child who wouldn't be ready for gardening after reading this delightful story!'
--The Reading Castle
'A really beautiful book.'
--Juno
'The bright pages of gardening specifics and kid-oriented details on planting a garden shouldn't be missed.'
--Midwest Book Review
'The gouache, colored pencil and graphite art includes cozy, warm realistic depictions of the flora and fauna around the garden, as well as diagrams, drawings of tools and steps for different plantings and simple craft projects using garden elements. The larger size of the book allows for grand vistas, but also makes use of page corners and edges for charming detailed drawings. Muller is an amazing artist - in a scene of a campfire, it looks as if the smoke is right under the reader's nose.'
-- Youth Services Book Review, 5 Stars
'This book not only provides a vivid reminder of the importance of growing our own crops, but it also includes detailed images and descriptions of the seasonal changes and some of the activities such as making an acorn necklace or freshly-squeezed lemonade in which the youngsters engage. I liked the simple fact that their new friend Louis, who is depicted in a wheelchair, has his own balcony garden as well. I also enjoyed the youngsters' enthusiastic embracing of their various gardening projects.'
--GoodReads, Barbara
'The beautifully detailed paintings invite close inspection as the seasons change[…] Helpful gardening tips, delicious recipes, and other related information accompany this tale and will surely inspire readers to create their own wonderful gardens. A fine companion to Muller's How Does My Garden Grow? And A Year Around the Great Oak, it continues her tradition of providing an engaging story that also seamlessly integrates facts about the natural world. Both entertaining and useful, this book is recommended for every library.'
--School Library Journal
'Gerda Muller’s enchanting illustrations, filled with details, will keep little readers engaged.'
-- San Francisco Book Review
'The combination of text and illustrations make this the kind of book you can keep coming back to. […] There are some lovely examples to show children of how you can plan a plot to grow plants along with additional fact boxes and instructions to make things just like they have in the story. This is a lovely book to share with a class when doing a topic on seasons and growing plants.'
--School Library Association
Author
Gerda Muller is a Floris Books featured author. Read all about this author's life and work on our dedicated author page.
Gerda Muller was born in 1926 in Naarden, Holland. She attended the Fine Arts School of Amsterdam and Ecole Estienne of Paris. She has illustrated over 120 books for children and her books have been translated into many languages. She is the illustrator of the Seasons board books, How Does My Garden Grow, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, A Year Around the Great Oak, and Where Do They Go When It Rains? (all Floris Books).
