Wanda's Roses [Hardcover]

Pat Brisson (Author), Maryann Cocca-Leffler (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Lively full-color pictures of modern city life help tell the story of Wanda as she nurtures a bare thornbush in an empty lot in the hope that it will produce roses.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brisson ( Your Best Friend, Kate ) creates a lovable new character whose unwavering optimism transforms a rubbish-ridden vacant lot into a rose garden. Convinced that a bare thornbush is really a rosebush about to bloom, Wanda exuberantly cleans up the lot so that the bush will get more sun and air. "You'll see," she says, "in a few weeks that whole lot will be full of roses." Wanda's neighbors are skeptical: "If that's a rosebush, then I'm the queen of England," one thinks to herself; "If that's a rosebush, then I'm the king of France," the next muses privately. Still, charmed by the girl's enthusiasm, they all help her. After a month without blooms but with much camaraderie, Wanda's neighbors contribute rosebushes, and "the whole lot was filled with the biggest, most beautiful, sweetest-smelling roses that anyone had ever seen--just as Wanda had always said it would be." Cheery watercolors complement this upbeat urban tale, genially depicting the city's great variety, from a chubby butcher to a kindly old woman with nylon knee highs rolled down around her ankles. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Wanda finds a thorny bush in a vacant lot and decides that it must be a rosebush that needs a little attention. She thinks about it, does library research, and tends the plant regularly, as various neighbors stop by and attempt gently to talk the child out of her rosy hopes. A month of watering, waiting, and clearing away surrounding trash brings no blooms; undaunted, Wanda attaches paper flowers to her special bush and invites the neighbors to a tea party to see the "rose garden." Cocca-Leffler's droll and friendly gouache and colored-pencil illustrations show a parade of six neighbors of various ages, sizes, and ethnic backgrounds on their way to the party, each bearing a blooming rosebush for the hostess. This story of one person's faith against all odds and a caring community is told simply and with good humor.
Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press; 1st edition (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563971364
• ISBN-13: 978-1563971365
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,672,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard-Working Heroine, May 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Wanda's Roses (Paperback)

Wanda is a real heroine -- a girl who works hard in the face of big odds. Yet, Wanda is also the kind of heroine who helps us think we can be heros, too. She relies more on creative invention than fantastic luck. The idea of growing roses in a vacant lot is both beautiful and realistic. The illustrations convey the eccentric colorfulness of the story's characters and ideas.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I like the pictures and how the story was written., June 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Wanda's Roses (Hardcover)

I liked the book because it was a good story. Some people may not believe Wanda that her bush would not grow roses. But, Wanda believed it. The book made me laugh. The pictures are the kind that kids like because they are cartoonish and colorful. By Rachel grade 4

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful story, July 29, 2008

By 

Kathryn at College Prep Tutoring (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wanda's Roses (Paperback)

This is a beautiful story about a little girl with a wonderfully optimistic world view. She is determined and focused on her goal and through her own efforts, and the enthusiasm of others, her dream becomes a reality.