Florette

This book takes us on a dreamy journey through the power of imagination and the beauty of nature. The story follows a girl named Mae who moves to a new city and yearns for greenery. The vibrant illustrations and heartwarming narrative capture the essence of resilience and the magic that can be found in unexpected places. 🌿📚

Florette by Anna Walker was listed on so many "Best of 2018" lists that I decided I needed to check it out myself... We're now on our 3rd and final renewal of Florette from our library, and this book will definitely go on our wish list of books to own. Written and illustrated by Walker, Florette tells the story of Mae, whose family moved from somewhere lush and green to a (very concrete) big city. All Mae wanted to do when she moved was bring her garden with her, but alas, there was no room for a new garden.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀A story of learning to love where you live, of resourcefulness and initiative, and of celebrating and preserving nature, Florette is one to share with your children! While the text is simple enough to keep small children engaged, the writing is still beautiful. The word choice and sentence structures allow readers to build genuine connection with Mae's feelings.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Additionally, Walker's watercolor illustrations are gorgeous, filled with the emotions that Mae herself is feeling. The endpapers are green and abundant, reflective of the kind of nature for which Mae longs so deeply, but throughout the rest of the book, the illustrations are muted, grey and beige… Until Mae stumbles upon the windowfront to the store called Florette, a shop that allows Mae to see how she can take charge of her surroundings and learn to feel at home in her new home.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Though the text was within reach of my 3-year-old's comprehension and attention, she had a harder time with the muted illustrations in much of the book. In fact, she even declared at one point that she didn't like this book (something she never says....), and then we turned the page. As luck would have it, the next page was the spread where Mae stumbles upon Florette... And Walker had my youngest back in the palm of her hand for the rest of the book. My 5.5-year-old loved the whole thing.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀If you liked this, check out:Rose's Garden by Peter H. ReynoldsMiss Rumphius by Barbara CooneyThe Curious Garden by Peter BrownThe Gardener by Sarah StewartA Quiet Place by Douglas Wood

My son loved this book! It really shows the power and influence in one child's enthusiasm. We got it from the library and ended up buying it so we could read it over and over.

We bought this for our five year old granddaughter who is learning to read. The story line is great (about change) and she enjoyed the fact that it featured a dog and the illustrations were very well done. She found out today that the local library had a copy and the accompanying photo is her beside the library copy.

The illustrations in the book are fantastic. It is a nice story, too. My 2.5 year old loves it. Highly recommend.

The story of a little girl Who leaves her home to move to the city. She tries to remake the garden she left behind. At first she is disappointed in the lack of nature, but she comes across a garden store that looks like a jungle. Then she remakes her neighborhood into a green paradise. The pictures are great and the sentiment is sweet. Good for the little gardeners in your life.

This was such a sweet story! A little girl moves to a new home in a very different environment, yet she ends up finding a bit of the familiar in an unexpected place. The illustrations are just beautiful and so detailed.

Beautiful illustrations and a sweet, simple story -- my 5-year-old was captivated by the second page. I may buy a second copy so we can frame some of the artwork for the girls' bedroom.

O livro é capa dura, mas tem uma capa que o envolve, e se não for bem embalado, ela pode amassar. Não foi o caso. Ele veio muito bem embalado.

Beautiful book, very happy with it

This book is already a favourite. It's beautiful in every way. As enjoyable to read as a parent as it is to a child.

Beautiful illustrations and story.

Nice book. Great illustrations.Down side: there are very few sentences and a few pages, so it's not a long story book.