A Childs Garden by Michael Foreman

A Childs Garden Reviews

• 
  Eleanor Trefusis

  A Child’s Garden is a story of hope in the face of adversity. The story’s protagonist lives in a war-torn world, where his home has been destroyed. However, one day he finds a tiny speck of green in the rubble, which he manages to grow into a beautiful vine. Although the soldiers return to destroy the landscape, the vine begins to grow again from another small seed, bringing beauty in the midst of chaos and war.
  
  This is a beautiful story that portrays the strength and hope that humanity can have, even when going through difficult times. The story is suitable for ages 5-7, and it explores themes of human resilience, hope, nature and war. The book’s stunning illustrations make it perfect for Year 1 and 2, as they further highlight the optimism and hope that the book portrays. As the story progresses and the vine grows, the images become more colourful, mirroring the emergence of hope that grows like the seed.
• 
  Jo ☾

  A beautiful story about a little boy living amidst the rubble and ruin of a war torn country. The green hills and streams where the boy used to play, are now on the other side of a barbed wire fence and the boy can no longer get to them.
  
  One day, the boy notices a bit of green poking through the rocks. It's a tiny plant and the boy begins to water it and take care of it, hoping it will grow. In the boys care, the plant turns into a vine that begins to grow and grow until it's covering the wire fence and no longer a secret. Other children come to see it and play near it, until the area becomes a sort of refuge and playground for them.
  
  Soldiers from the other side of the fence notice the vine and rip it down. Winter comes and goes and then it's spring once more. This time, on the other side of the fence, a little girl notices a tiny green shoot and begins to water and take care of it. It begins to grow and grow. The little boy searches the area where his vine used to grow and also notices little green shoots. The vine has come back! Eventually, the shoots from both sides of the fence, meet and begin to entwine with one another and once again, the vine blossoms and grows until it's covering the wire fence.
  
  Let the soldiers return, thought the boy.
  Roots are deep, and seeds spread.
  
  I really loved this. The illustrations are very well done and they're all in muted tones of grey, brown and white with the exception of the tiny green shoot, and then the vine and then the birds and butterflies etc, until eventually everything blooms with colour. It's a gorgeous transition, from darkness to light, which works beautifully with the story.
  
  A sad story with a message of hope! <3
• 
  Amrit

  Set in a world full of war, this book shares similarities to Michael Morpurgo’s, The Kites are flying. This story is set amongst a war torn village that has been destroyed and an ugly barbed wire fence has been erected isolating a community. The mood and atmosphere of the story has been reflected through the dull, miserable and grey illustrations which does not change with the seasons. A powerful element in the story is the personification of hope through the plant the boy is trying so hard to grow. While caring for the plant he is reliving his happy memories and thinking of life before the horrid barbed wire fence. Everything over the barbed wire is green and colourful, changing the tone of the story, showing the little boys aspiration of living on that side. The aspiration is cut short and the story reverts back to grey and dull skies. Until one day he sees the plants growing, hiding the unsightly barbed wire and with this the colour appeared flooding into the dismal illustrations, representing that the boy had achieved what he hoped for.
  I think the illustrations and the story is powerful. I personally can see this being used in classrooms for Key stage 2 in reciprocal reading, and Philosophy for children. As I was reading this book, I had many thoughts and questions, and this can be accessed by children. I thought the main two themes for discussions were; the effects of war and hope. Narratives can convey experiences for children and texts like this one can be a great learning tool.
  
• 
  Melissa Barbier

  This book was very symbolical. It is about a boy who, presumably, is living in a concentration camp and sees lots of beautiful plants outside of the barbed wire fence. He finds some plant by the fence on his side of the fence and takes care of it, watering it every day and making sure that it grows. It helps him and the other children keep hope that some day they will get to see the world on the other side of the barbed wire fence again. This book had me wondering more about the author as well as any background for writing the book. There was no indication that the boy was indeed in a concentration camp or somewhere else. I suppose by not specifying where exactly the story takes place, more readers could relate to the story because there are other areas in the world that are war-torn and could have barbed wire fences controlled by soldiers.
  I would use this book with older children to identify literary elements and discuss the heavier topic of the Holocaust.
• 
  Mathew

  When a child, trapped behind the barbed wire of a desolate city finds a tiny plant growing amongst the war-strewn rubble he decides that he must do all he can to feed and care for the plant. In time, he finds that it is a grapevine and as it grows, it brings children and birds to it to enjoy its shade and fruit. When soliders on the other side tear it down, the boy finds, to his luck that seeds are growing and tend to on the opposite side. In time, seeds and growth returns and the story ends with him dreaming of a great life and hope. This allegory of breaking down walls is done well by Foreman who uses pencil and bright watercolours to show the difference between the worlds and landscape.
  
  
• 
  Kathryn

  I hope my class one day understand just how lucky they are. But more so, that they grow up to use their privilege for good and lift others.
• 
  Sonya Bright

  
  In a story that is deliberately vague in its setting, A Child’s Garden could represent any one of many places around the world today and in the recent past, from Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Donbas region, to Palestine, to the Chechnya of the 1990s and beyond. Judging by the publication date, I’m going to assume Palestine presented much of the inspiration for the book.
  
  The select use of colour creates a strong mood, and I’m sure the illustrations will generate a lot of conversation. It’s a good choice, I think, for children at the older end of the picture book spectrum, and would make a good addition to schools.
  
  The book finishes with a glimpse of a happier future, which seems wildly optimistic, but also necessary, I think.
  
  I’ve seen some reviews of this one where people have guessed the boy is supposed to be living within a concentration camp, but that makes no sense, considering he is with his family in the bombed remains of his house (actually my favourite image in the whole book). I think that assumption – that it’s something from generations ago – goes to show that many Westerners pay little attention to today’s current events.
• 
  Prabhat sharma

  A Child’s Garden- A Story of Hope by Michael Foreman- Hindi Language translation by Arvind Gupta- Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- The book narrates the story of a war- torn area divided by a barbed wire. After the war, there is no greenery. As soon the summer arrives, a boy finds that a green shoot is rising from the debris. He finds an old tattered tin with rain water. He waters the plant. He finds a tattered rag and a small barbed wire. He covers the plant from sun and strong winds. By and by the plant grew in to a vine which spread on the barbed wire. Soon, birds, butterflies and children arrived. Children played happily in this atmosphere. When the wine grew, the soldiers arrived and destroyed the wine-yard. One winter season passed. Spring and rains arrived. Vine seeds grew on other side of the barbed wire. A young girl watered this plant. Soon it grew into a wine yard on the barbed wire. Now, they waited for the soldiers to arrive. Coloured illustrations help the reader to relate to the story. I have read the Hindi Language translation of this book.
• 
  Peace Teachpeacenow

  Like all great picture book, this one is an allegory that can be read on many levels. Superficially, it is about a child who finds a lone plant growing in a war-torn ruin and shows how he nurses it until it covers the barbed wire fence separating him from the other side. For young readers, we can emphasize the message of hope with the vision that one day war ends, and there can be peace. But only if we work at it.
  
  On a deeper level, with older students and adults we can apply the lesson to all the refugee camps that dot our planet and speak to the inhumanity that can overwhelm our belief that we can wipe these from the face of the earth. This is a book to accompany the study of the Holocaust, Japanese internment camps, the Trail of Tears, Syrian refugees, and more. Only by cherishing that tender shoot or hope and taking action, will we have the power to take the action needed to end the war and hate that imprisons people .
• 
  Ellie Labbett

  Set in a war torn city, ‘A Child’s Garden’ is an excellent story to explore the concept of hope and faith when trapped in the most difficult conditions. When a little boy finds a spurting shoot, he nurtures and cares for it until it spreads into the most beautiful garden, which continues to reseed and grow. This garden sparks community and friendship for the characters, which can lead to important talk about the healing power of nature and the resilience of the human spirit. Is it the nature that provides strength, or the presence of someone who wants to strive for life and find something more?
  I loved the thoughtful choice of colour- war is so dark and muted, yet nature can bring such vibrancy and light, which can bring about excellent reading between the lines and the implications of choices in illustration.
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  Jana

  I really like the hopeful message this book leaves with young readers - so many people, especially young people, live in desperate circumstances due to war, injustice, and violence. In the midst of this young boy's life behind barbed wire in a refugee camp during a time of war, a growing vine presents an opportunity, not only for some shade and color, but for shelter for animals and insects. It also becomes a place where the camp community can come together and enjoy themselves for a moment. But even when soldiers from the other side come and rip the lush vine out by the roots, the seeds and roots of that hopeful plant come back to life, restoring hope to these children. This book would be great to share with kids as a way to talk about the circumstances that lead to children living in refugee camps.
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  Philippa

  A sweet book but which is vague as to setting. Left the children wanting to know more of the back story but had to keep our conversation general as we couldn’t pin it to a particular geographical area.
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  Sean Harding

  There was something about this book which was truly inspiring and made you believe again. Beautiful story and images wrapped up in an overarching theme of hope, of seeing the light in the darkness, and of getting up and going once more, this was a great little book.
• 
  Lisa Bonack

  This is such a beautiful, heartbreaking, uplifting book. It is a book about hope in the midst of a war-torn country (without being too frightening). Color is very important in conveying the emotions of the young protagonist as well as the other children on both sides of the fence.
• 
  Chinook

  A sweet story about finding hope in a war torn situation. The girls found the vines easy to connect with, but it was harder to talk with them about why the boy was trapped behind the fence. Perhaps more details would have helped, perhaps not.
• 
  Dolly

  This is a story of hope and resilience, through a war filled wirh destruction and devastation. The narrative is appropriate for younger children and the illustrations effectively combine colorful andsepia-toned pictures to convey emotions.
• 
  Carrie Gelson

  Reread with my Grade 3 class this week.
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  Gemma Ford

  A touching story of hope and loss
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  RhiannaH

  A beautifully illustrated book that shows that for some, the smallest of things can bring the greatest hope.
• 
  Wetdryvac

  Well, that was grim. Lovely art.
• 
  Marcia McLaughlin

  Beautifully written story about children reaching out across borders in wartime. I read it many times before giving it away during downsizing.
• 
  Homegrown Reader

  The idea of hope is such a strange concept to explain to children. The difficulty lies in the fact that it’s not actually tangible and that even for adults it can feel like a wisp enchanting you while it dances around your hand but darting away as you reach to grasp it. Michael Foreman does a great job in A Child’s Garden of bringing this idea to life while sending the message to kids that hope is not confined to one person or set of people but something that we all can access.
  
  The story focuses on a small boy who finds a young plant determinedly growing in the rumble near his home. The boy nurtures and cares for it and soon it becomes strong and healthy. It encourages happiness among the people who live around him and entangles itself in the barbed wire fence that separates him from the people across the way. In the wake of this triumph the plant is torn down and thrown into a ditch on the other side of the fence so that the boy can’t help it. However, here is where Foreman brings in one of the biggest messages. The vine not only survives but is nourished by a girl living on the other side of the fence. Its seeds and roots have gone deep and soon other small plants grow too. All of the seedlings are drawn to the fence but the boy is no longer afraid that the plant will be hurt because he know that even if it is torn down again, it will never really die. The text is simple, and powerful, allowing the reader to fill in the rest of the story as they will but providing enough direction not to stray from the overall meaning.
  
  It’s a strong and complex message that is expertly delivered to young readers. Bug is still too young for this concept but we’ve storywalked through the book and discussed the feelings of those illustrated. Foreman has employed a very restrained use of color within the pages allowing young readers to note the importance of the plant and the beauty it brings. Foreman draws a world that is made from rubble and wouldn’t be out of place in a middle eastern nation. This too allows for another discussion about what state people live in and where. The plant itself seems to yearn to grow on the fence. It reaches for it no matter where it is planted. It’s as if it wants to beautify such a horrible symbol of division.
  
  The topics in this book are not simple or easy but they are fundamental in how they encourage readers of all ages to remember that when we have nothing else that there is always hope and that cannot ever be completely destroyed.
  
  Story Tips:
  - Be ready for a difficult discussion afterwords.
  - If you need tips on storywalking check them out here.
  
• 
  Erin Reilly-Sanders

  I really like the idea of the story and the implied setting, but I found the scene of the children's parade at the end a little cheesy, especially as the children were depicted rather generically. However, the use of colour is really good and the poetic simplicity of the words is wonderful. The end papers with the simple silhouette of a strand of barbed wire were a nice touch.
  Summary: Appropriate for even very young children, his simple but vague story depicts a land that looks vaguely like Israel/Palestine with a fence that separates ruins from the city and cool green hills that the little boy used to visit. Finding a tiny plant, he nurtures it until it grows and beautifies his home. When soldiers come and pull it down, the resulting message is one of hope and resilience as there is always the possibility to grow the plant again. This book presents a way to combat oppressive governments through caring, community, and gentle but insistent work.
  Critique: The simplicity of the story seems to ring true, told in an “honest, yet understated manner” that allows for multiple levels of understanding that fit the child’s abilities (Dudhnath, 2009, para. 2) and making the TheBookbag.co.uk’s Top Ten Children’s Books about Weight Subjects list (“Top Ten Children’s Books About Weighty Subjects,” n.d.). The pictures fit the story well, using soft lines and gentle colors that expand to fill the pages with the growth of the plant and hope. The only concern is that the children portrayed look a little generic, tending toward light skin and round faces rather than celebrating the richness of ethnic diversity in skin color and facial structures but this seems to be outweighed by the sensitivity with which the subject matter is addressed.