Today it is my pleasure to review a lovely new picture book Rosie’s Garden written by Olivia Coates, illustrated by Samantha McLelland and published by EK Books. This post is part of a Books on Tour promotion.
About author Olivia Coates
Olivia Coates is an early childhood professional who is passionate about the role of the natural environment in education and care for young children. Since the beginning of her teaching career in 2005, Olivia has secured numerous garden grants for local kindergartens and schools, and worked closely with organisations who provide supported employment for people with a disability. The projects targeted better access, inclusion and connection.
She adores visiting these gardens now and seeing children immersed in play amongst nature, growing and harvesting vegetables, feeding chickens and collecting eggs, learning the names and traditional uses of plants. The sense of community that grows from these experiences – that’s the magic. It shows that investing a little bit of time really can have a lasting impact.
Rosie’s Garden is Olivia’s second picture book, following her debut Shadow Wall.
Find out more about Olivia on her website.
About illustrator Samantha McLelland
Samantha McLelland is a freelance illustrator and former school art teacher. She loves pottery, cooking, reading and exploring the outdoors.
About Rosie’s Garden
A little determination goes a long way in this inspiring story about creating green spaces and building community.
Rosie loves nothing more than to dig and spend time with people from her neighbourhood in the community garden. There’s Mr Dellagatti who collects seeds, Annika who plays the violin, and even Esmeralda the chicken who likes worms for breakfast!
But when the garden is sold to the Big Boss of a city company, Rosie looks on helplessly as it is destroyed and replaced by a towering skyscraper. Where will her friends from the garden go now? And what will happen to Esmeralda now that her home is gone?
It’s going to take some unexpected teamwork and a whole lot of bravery, but maybe Rosie can find a solution that makes everyone happy…
Rosie’s Garden is an inspiring story about preserving nature and standing up for the things that are important to us. Through simple prose and beautiful illustrations, it explores themes of environmentalism, urbanisation and community in a way that will engage younger readers and get them thinking about the world around them, and the role we can all play in protecting it.
Essential reading for any little ones interested in nature, buildings, the outdoors – and digging!
What I like about Rosie’s Garden
Rosie’s Garden begins in a small community garden, so small that you may not see it if you didn’t know where to look. It is the type of garden that may be familiar in many suburban areas and so to the child readers. Like Rosie, those children may also like to dig in the garden.
As is in every suburban area, change is inevitable, and it is not long before the garden is bulldozed and replaced by a high rise building. It seems there is nothing the community can do about it. Rosie couldn’t even buy it back with ‘some sunflower seeds, a bottle top and a lollipop stick.’ However, she does come up with another idea. Better yet, she acts upon it and works together with the building’s ‘big boss’ to find a solution that works for both the building owner and the community.
I especially like phrases such as ‘Thanks for filling my bucket, Rosie’ which can be understood both literally and figuratively and provide opportunities for discussion.
I also enjoy the inclusion of onomatopoeia with the heavy machinery: ‘rumble, crunch, scrape, clunk’.
But it is the thoughtfulness and resourcefulness of Rosie who cares about her friends from the garden and bravely approaches the big boss of the building with an idea for a solution that has most appeal. In addition, it is pleasing to see that more than one stereotype of the uncaring construction company is bulldozed with the ability of the ‘big boss’ to listen to Rosie and effect a solution to benefit the community.
There is much to enjoy as well as discuss in the pages of this warm and thought provoking book. Children will be inspired by Rosie’s resourcefulness as she shows that one person can make a difference and that not everything is a foregone conclusion.
Purchase your own copy of Rosie’s Garden directly from EK Books or from all good bookstores, online or otherwise.
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Best wishes, Norah
