The Flower Garden

A cheery, colorful jaunt through a garden gnome's world, arranged lovingly and thoughtfully in graphic novel form. The journey starts with Anna imploring her friend Tessa to help her plant a flower garden so that they can save the bees. Their work complete, the two fall fast asleep. They soon awaken to find that they have shrunk down to the size of bugs. A garden gnome, May, greets them and guides them to her home. The charm of this book lies in the fanciful exploration of the world of small things; the girls hop on toadstools, make dandelion swings, and navigate the tunnels the gnomes share with a panoply of small mammals. But Anna's eagerness borders on recklessness, and try as Tess may to slow her friend from hurtling ahead, Anna nearly gets herself into some serious scrapes. Kurilla's basic story is simple and swiftly communicated, but every panel, packed with richly colored flora, communicates a slower, more impressionistic story about the garden world and about Anna and Tess's friendship. Anna is white, Tess is Black, May is brown-skinned, and members of her gnome community vary widely in terms of skin tone. VERDICT A simple story and a sweet visual treat that promises to be an enjoyable read for both eager and hesitant beginning readers.—Emilia Packard