Grandpa's Garden
 Shea Darian, Illustr - Karlyn Holman
 (Reviewed by The Editor - Rebecca Brown)
 1996 Dawn Publications
  ISBN: 1883220416


Every Saturday Grandpa & grandchild work side by side in his garden. Among the radishes & lettuces, they share their feelings & their wishes.

Told from the perspective of Grandpa's granddaughter, we follow her joys & Grandpa's thoughts, as they dig & harvest in the sunny summer days.

As Shea Darian writes in her introduction: “...his garden was a place...I harvested the goodness of Grandpa's humor & wisdom about life...gardens [are] places where love & wisdom can grow alongside the vegetables, fruits, & flowers.”

Then comes the day when Grandpa can't work anymore, & grandchild runs yelling for Grandma. An ambulance comes & whisks Grandpa away to the hospital. Grandchild continues to work in the garden alone, remembering her Grandpa & all that makes him special.

One Saturday, Grandma takes grandchild to the hospital to see Grandpa, who is so glad for the bouquet of flowers she hands him.

Grandpa's Garden brings back many fond memories of working our garden with our Poppa, many of the same sayings, the gentle spiritual reminders, & the wry, dry humor that made Poppa so special.

I couldn't agree more with Shea Darian, for the tending of gardens & their harvests gives much peace, satisfaction & joy.

A word about Karlyn Holman's illustrations -- they are exuberant, colorfilled & rich in details & textures.

More from Shea Darian: Seven Times the Sun: Guiding Your Child Through the Rhythms of the Day.

“Dawn Publications is dedicated to inspiring in children a deeper understanding and appreciation for all life on Earth.” www.DawnPub.com
(10/06/02)

Rebecca