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.
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2—Theo's Poppa's new apartment has no garden, and the windy balcony does not promise to be a good growing spot. But Theo proposes an imaginary garden, and she and her grandfather begin to fill a large blank canvas with a stone wall for the vines to climb on, early springtime flowers, and a visiting robin. When Poppa goes off on a trip, the painting project becomes Theo's; the garden bursts into bloom as she employs her memory, imagination, and a palette of vibrant colors. She even remembers to paint herself into the scene. The lively artwork is rendered in pen and ink and multimedia collage. The warmth of the grandparent/grandchild relationship is evident but, unfortunately, readers never witness Poppa's return and see his joy at Theo's creation. A book that more successfully shows a child as both gardener and healer is Sarah Stewart's The Gardener (Farrar, 1997). Nonetheless, this is a sweet and visually appealing addition for seasonal and gardening units.—Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
beautiful illustrations and story,
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This review is from: The Imaginary Garden (Hardcover)
The story is about a grandfather moving into an apartment that does not have a garden. He and his granddaughter decided to paint a garden to place in the balcony. The story goes through what they painted and how they created the garden. THe graphics in the whole book is really pretty. ANd the story of the grandpa and granddaughter is sweet too.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This was a delightful tale of a special, loving relationship that a child has with her grandfather!,
This review is from: The Imaginary Garden (Hardcover)
Theo and Poppa just loved sitting in their Adirondack chairs admiring the flowers as the sat under the big maple tree. There were all kinds of them and the swirls of color brightened their days together. Even a butterfly and a bumble bee flitted around enjoying them, but something was about to change. Poppa was going to leave his little house and garden and was going to move to an apartment. The new place had a wrought iron fence unlike the picket one and there wasn't a flower to be seen. Only a little old ugly leaf and that wasn't much to look at. There was one thing Poppa and Theo planned and that was their imaginary garden.
Poppa got out his drawing board, paints and brushes and the two of them pulled up their chairs and began drawing. When spring came, they were out on the balcony ready to begin. There was a huge canvas and paints that he bought for them. They were all dressed up with matching garden hats and ready to create their imaginary garden. "Let's put a stone wall at the back of the garden . . . the vines will need to hold onto something as they reach for the sun." They began to draw the garden wall and mixed some "green, some red and some blue" to make brown. The garden was growing, but Poppa had to go away for a while. Would Theo be able to manage the garden on her own? This was a delightful tale of a special, loving relationship that a child has with her grandfather. The "imaginary" garden was an absolutely ingenious way that their gardening relationship could continue even though her grandfather was no longer in his country home and had to move to an apartment. Children will not only learn a bit about drawing things like flowers, but will also learn about how colors are mixed and how to draw a simple bird. The artwork is whimsical and the flower gardens are vibrant and alive with color. If you don't garden with a young child, you will enjoy this book, but if you do you will be thrilled!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiring illustrations,
This review is from: The Imaginary Garden (Hardcover)
Loved the story, loved the illustrations - colorful, just gorgeous. Don't just read this one, get out the paints and brushes and try painting like Theo and her Poppa do.
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