Customer Reviews

Holly Bloom's Garden

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've shared this book a dozen times with my 6-year-old son. He gets greatly discouraged when things don't bloom after he's planted seeds, so "Holly Bloom's Garden" gave him the idea of making his own flowers. The book's illustrations are warm and charming and Ashman and Parent tell a good story that should appeal to both boys and girls.

This is a beautiful book for children of all ages. I have three nieces ranging in age from 4 to 13 and each enjoyed it at a different level. Wonderful illustrations support a fun and inspiring story. I highly recommend this book!

This is a wonderful story about finding ways to be q part of something even though you don't "appear" to have the talent. Holly finds a wonderful way to express her ability to "grow" flowers. The drawings in this book are absolutely beautiful and the attention to detail is amazing. Anyone who loves flowers or gardening, both young and old, will love this book! A great gift.

What a wonderful story about finding your own personnel way to express yourself when you can't do what everyone else can. A great story for children and adults to remind us to look at things from a different perspective. The book is filled with beautiful, colorful and detailed drawings. Gorgeous drawings of every kind of flower. Makes me want a garden like that. Great book for young and old flower lovers, gardeners and the gardening challenged!!!

I am a volunteer reader at a public elementary school in a largely latino section of Los Angeles. This week I read "Holly Bloom's Garden" to ten second and third grade classes with the gratifying results that keep volunteers energized. The students enjoyed the delightful story as Holly created a garden of beautiful paper flowers.They enthused over the brilliant illustrations and told me that Holly's facial expressions and body positions, as when she struggles with the heavy watering can, made the story more interesting. The teachers were pleased with the rapt attention and the stream of comments and questions about the book. I am certain that children at school and home will enjoy and benefit from this beautiful book.

Paul H. Wangsness Burbank, CA

Holly Bloom wishes to do something as well as her mom and older siblings can. What does Holly want? To grow her own garden.
Alas, her family's flowers flourish, but Holly's seedlings simply won't grow. Not willing to give up, Holly keeps trying--until she finally figures out how to have a perfect garden of her own.
Gentle illustrations in colored pencil and acrylic paint evoke Holly's struggle and celebrate her unique solution.
Young readers facing a difficult goal will be encouraged to think outside the box, just like Holly Bloom.

"Holly Bloom felt as grouchy as the thorns on a rosebush.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make her flowers grow."

Holly wants to create her own garden but doesn't know all the secrets of gardening. Her mother, Iris, has a green thumb and her father gives her creative advice. Everyone in the family seems to be participating in the gardening activities. The pictures are filled with bright colors and comforting gardening situations. Her father paints pictures of the flowers while family members cut roses or plant new flowers.

"What I really need, thought Holly, is a green thumb."

So, Holly puts green paint on her thumb. This book has a real sense of humor. Well, when that doesn't work, Holly tries using fertilizer and then a variety of tools. Finally she soaks the flowers with too much water. (Why does this sound like my gardening at times?)

Finally, Holly goes to bed and when everyone thinks she is asleep, she sneaks into her dad's art studio and makes all sorts of paper flowers that fill up the entire room.

Children will enjoy the surprise of Holly finding a way to "grow" her own flowers. The art by Lori Mitchell is healing and calming. She uses just the right colors to set a mood for each page. The illustrations were created using black Prismacolor pencil and acrylic paint on Arches hotpress watercolor paper. The result is vibrant art with a realistic feel.

~The Rebecca Review

I like the book Holly Bloom's Garden. My favorite part of the book was when Holly painted her thumb green because I thought it was funny. The pictures were nice.

This is a wonderful book. I have given it to friends and some have purchased it for granddaughters. I live in a senior facility in Annapolis and it became a hit for those who purchased it or read it with their children and grandchildren.