Home Lovely [Hardcover]

Lynne Rae Perkins (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1995 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Hoping for trees or a flower garden, Tiffany transplants and cares for some seedlings that she finds and is surprised by what they become.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Janelle and her daughter, Tiffany, move to an isolated trailer out in the country, Tiffany must spend long afternoons alone while Janelle is at work. Just when the TV and her Barbie doll begin to grow stale, Tiffany discovers something magical by the garbage cans: tiny green seedlings. Imagining trees and flowers, she transplants them alongside the driveway, her hopes of gracious living privately stirred by an article in her mother's "Home Lovely" magazine: "A garden pleases the eye and is a companion to the soul." When Bob, the postman, comments on her tomato, melon and potato plants, the girl is devastated. But as the tender plants grow through the summer, so does a friendship. First-time author/artist Perkins fills this convincingly sweet tale with imaginative details and true-to-life dialogue. Pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations show invariably sunny scenes, with further bright spots created by the characters' gaily patterned clothes. A spacious story that allows ordinary loneliness and unexpected kindness to assume their proper proportions. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 6^-9. Young Tiffany moves with her mom, Janelle, to a trailer home that sits by itself, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Summer has just begun, and school is out. Janelle must go to work, can't afford a sitter, and is forced to leave Tiffany home alone every day. Rather than wallow in loneliness, Tiffany busies herself with, among other things, transplanting some seedlings she finds and tending them in the hope they will grow into flowers or trees. When kindly Bob, the mail carrier, admires Tiffany's tomatoes, melons, and potatoes, she is terribly disappointed to learn her plants are vegetables, not flowers. Sensitive to her feelings, Bob soon brings some pansy, marigold, and petunia plants along with the mail. As summer progresses, he also shares gardening tips to ensure Tiffany a healthy harvest. Realistically drawn in pen and ink and watercolors, the illustrations underscore the nurturing theme of the tender story: Janelle and Tiffany's spontaneous embrace at the kitchen sink while doing dishes, their playful outfitting of a scarecrow for the garden, and their experiments with new recipes for tomatoes and melons reflect the genuine love between mother and daughter. Bob's attentiveness reveals one gardener's support for another who's less experienced but eager to learn. Featuring strong, appealing characters, Perkins' first book is caringly phrased and washed in warm colors. Ellen Mandel

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st edition (September 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688136877
• ISBN-13: 978-0688136871
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,208,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful and very realistic., November 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Home Lovely (Hardcover)

Models for children a very realistic and down to earth way of being proactive in today's world. Holds children's attention, they want to know what will happen next.

5.0 out of 5 stars A joy to read even as an adult., October 31, 2011

By 

Norel Pride "Bubba" (Southern Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Home Lovely (Hardcover)

A joy to read the illustrations alone are worth the price of the book. Interesting children's story that will keep your kids going back to the book and asking for another reading.