• CHILDREN'S LITERATURE,  Picbook Review

    A Child’s Garden: A Story of Hope by Michael Foreman

    A beautiful picture book written and illustrated by Michael Foreman about a boy living in a war-torn country.

    astoryofhope

    A Child’s Garden: A Story of Hope tells a story of how a boy cared for a plant that he found in the grey rubble of his ruined home. He cared for the plant and the plant slowly reached and covered a barbed wire fence with the garden fencing that was built to not let villagers crossed to the other side; to not let him walked to the hills that he loved so much.

    The plant soon grew bigger to become a grapevine. The grapevine brought colours to the village and all kids were happy playing with butterflies and birds. But the happiness was not long when soldiers who ruined the village came back and ruined the grapevine. The boy had a heartbreak. The plant died down on him. Seasons changed from autumn to winter to spring. Then he saw his vine survived; but on the other side of the fence. He was worried but then he saw hope; in a form a girl who watered his vine.

    One day, the vine started to grow on his side of the fence. Soon, vines from both sides reached the fence and became entwined. The village became livelier again and the boy was confident that if ever the soldiers come again to destroy, the roots of the vines are deep and seeds spread. Nobody could stop the force of nature.

    The boy never stop hoping that one day the fence would disappear so that he will be able to walk again into the hills.

    Michael totally nailed it by how he illustrated the book; he adds colour as the vine grows.

    As well as illustrating many of his own books, Michael has illustrated over a hundred books written Shakespeare, J. M. Barrie, the Brothers Grimm, Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde. Michael has travelled widely – to Africa, Japan, the Arctic Circle, China and Malaysia, the Himalayas, Siberia and New Zealand – to research his books.

    pencil

    Publication details:
    Format: Paperback
    ISBN: 9781406325881
    Published: 03 May 2010
    Price: £6.99
    Size: 250 x 230 mm
    Pages: 32

    Credit reference: 
    http://www.walker.co.uk/contributors/Michael-Foreman-2741.aspx
    http://www.walker.co.uk/A-Child-s-Garden-9781406325881.aspx