Imaginary Garden, The (Hardcover)

~ Andrew Larsen (Author), Irene Luxbacher (Illustrator)

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
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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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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554532795
• ISBN-13: 978-1554532797
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #610,572 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars This was a delightful tale of a special, loving relationship that a child has with her grandfather!, October 17, 2009

By	D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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!

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful imagination, July 7, 2009

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Brooke James (age 5) for Reader Views (7/09)

"The Imaginary Garden" by Andrew Larsen is about a little girl named Theo and her grandfather. Theo used to grow a garden with her grandfather at his house, but her grandfather lives in an apartment now. Theo misses the garden, but they cannot have a garden at the apartment because it is too windy on the balcony. Theo comes up with an idea to have an imaginary garden. Theo's grandfather thinks it is a great idea, so they get to work painting a garden on a huge canvas that they put out on the balcony. They work side by side "planting" the garden until her grandfather goes away on a trip. He tells Theo that she will know just what to do with the garden while he is away. Will Theo be able to finish their garden? Read "The Imaginary Garden" by Andrew Larsen to find out.

Mom: "What did you think about this book?"
Brooke: "I'm not used to this type of book."
Mom: "How is it different?"
Brooke: "It does not seem like a children's book."
Mom: "Did you have a favorite part?"
Brooke: "I liked the part where they planned the garden and when they painted the garden."

Parent's comments:

This book was a very sweet story about a girl and her grandfather. It had beautiful pictures and wonderful imagination. I loved the book mainly due to the imagination and art that it talks about. I found it to be a refreshing change from the normal children's book.

Since this book is different than the type of children's book Brooke is used to, it was not her favorite. I think that the concepts were a little too abstract for her.

Even though Brooke had a hard time with this book, I would still recommend "The Imaginary Garden" by Andrew Larsen to other parents to read to their children.

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring illustrations, July 1, 2009

By	Lisa Barker - See all my reviews

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.