Holly Bloom's Garden
Written by Sarah Ashman & Nancy Parent
Illustrated by Lori Mitchell Flashlight Press, New York: 2004
ISBN: 0-972-92250-4
Genre: Children's Picture Story Books
Reviewed by Auggie Moore - November 22, 2006
Holly Bloom has a problem. Everyone in her family has a green thumb, except for her. Her mother Iris is a skilled gardener under whose hand beautiful flowers unfold. Her sister Rosie grows flowers that are famous the whole town around. Even her brother, Bud, has a green thumb. Each in turn tries to help Holly plant and grow some flowers, but to no avail. Holly even takes the drastic step of painting her thumb green, but even this does not make her flowers grow. Rather than growing depressed, or giving up, Holly keeps trying. She waters, and fertilizes, and is careful to use the right tools, but nothing works. Still determined to succeed, Holly keeps trying new methods of making her flowers grow. She never gives up and, inspired by her father, at last finds a solution to her dilemma by creating her own unique flower garden out of tissue paper, crepe paper, pipe cleaners, paste, sparkles, and paint!
Written by Sarah Ashman & Nancy Parent, and lushly illustrated by Lori Mitchell, Holly Bloom's Garden is an enchanting story about creativity and perseverance. It is also a story that teaches children to embrace their differences and to build upon their own talents. The text is printed in a large print font that will prove a boon to both young and old eyes. In addition, the story is brought vividly to life via the cheerful color illustrations and black and white sketches that accompany the story. Holly Bloom's Garden is an enjoyable story that is a perfect book for reading out loud, and it will enthrall young readers as they discover how Holly makes her garden bloom!
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