When winter came, the garden lay under a blanket of snow and Liam stayed below, sledding and preparing for spring. Liam looked out over his city with a new perspective. During the next few months, Liam and the garden explored all the nooks and crannies of the railway bridge. The weeds and mosses crept down the tracks while the “more delicate plants” plucked up their courage and followed. After several weeks, “Liam began to feel like a real gardener, and the plants began to feel like a real garden.” Now that the garden was healthy, it began to be curious about what lay up and down the railway track.

Liam wasn’t officially a gardener, “but he knew that he could help.” After a few false starts and a mis-snip here and there, the plants began to look better. They needed water they needed a gardener.Ĭopyright Peter Brown, 2009, courtesy of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Of course, he was curious, and when he reached the top he discovered a scrawny patch of wildflowers. One rainy day Liam discovered a stairway leading to a bridge that held unused railway tracks. “As you can imagine, it was a very dreary place.” There was one boy, though, who loved being outside. “There once was a city without gardens or trees or greenery of any kind.” People didn’t notice because they spent most of their time inside-working, going to school, or at home. If you haven’t begun your garden yet, it’s not too late! Grab a packet of seeds or visit your local nursery and see what a wonderful, wild patch you can grow! The Curious Garden By Peter Brown Colorful flowers are some of the joys of summer and provide food for birds and insects all season long. Winner of New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Award (Picture Book) 2009,Winner of E.B.If the showers of April have dried up where you are and the May flowers are getting a bit thirsty, today’s holiday makes the perfect reminder to fill the watering can or turn on the sprinkler and give them a drink.

With spare text and breathtaking illustrations, and a classic feel reminiscent of THE LITTLE HOUSE and MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL, this is a magical picture book about the power that one small person can have to transform the world. He cares for the plants and helps them flourish, and they gradually spread throughout the city, transforming it, bit by bit, into a lush, green world. THE CURIOUS GARDEN tells the story of how this young boy discovers a door that leads up to abandoned railroad tracks where he finds a forgotten garden. If you look closely, you can spot the tiny figure of a red-headed boy, Liam, walking down the street. This gorgeously illustrated picture book opens to a detailed spread of a gray city.

The curious garden 2010