The English edition of Secret Gardeners by Lina Laurent & Maja Hurme (ill.), out with Pajama Press, has been turning heads and collecting enthusiastic reviews. This lovely title, which follows a group of children who start a no-dig garden in the city and solve a mystery on the side, has been featured in reviews on literature blogs and literature-related youth services from the English-speaking world.
The Massachussets-based Youth Services Book Review has reviewed the book stating: “With lovely illustrations and a magical blend of nonfiction and fictional mystery, this book is a winner!”
The US-based YA & Kids Books Central, considered one of the largest independent professional book recommendation sites, has commented: “Secret Gardeners is a multi-layered story about three children who help form and protect a community garden. […] The warm colored pencil-crayon illustrations are gorgeous. There is so much diversity shown on the pages, kids will have a fun time pointing things out.”
The prestigious US-based literary magazine Kirkus Reviews has called the book ” a nimble combination of mystery, activism, and gardening instruction.“
The Canada-based Storytime with Stephanie literature blog, specialised in quality literature for youth has enthusiastically reviewed Secret Gardeners as “part fiction, part non-fiction and the perfect story for readers who want to heal the Earth.”
The US-based literature magazine School Library Journal called the book “A solid introduction to gardening told through story and extremely well-presented facts. Highly recommended.”
With Secret Gardeners children learn about seeds, microbes, compost and bokashi, carbon sequestration in soil, harvesting and beekeeping – and about no-dig gardening. The book is designed for information-hungry children between 6 to 10 years of age, to be read with an adult who also is keen to take up city gardening. Written by journalist and beekeeper Lina Laurent, and illustrated by award-winning illustrator Maija Hurme, Secret Gardeners follows three friends – Luna, Bianca and Billy – who have discovered a secret garden hidden behind a rickety fence and an abandoned house. There, the children become urban farmers, with the help of Amy who seems to be planting seeds everywhere. Bringing the garden back to life, also the secret of the house starts to unravel.
The foreign rights have already been sold for English, Czech, Estonian, and Romanian.
Congratulations to the authors, and don’t miss out on this title!