Snyder, Laurel. The Forever Garden. Illustrated by Samantha Cotterill. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2017. $17.99. ISBN 9780553512731. Unpaged. Ages 4-8. P7 Q7
As Honey works in her garden, the little girl who lives next door follows her around. Through various activities, they develop a close relationship. As the story progresses, the little girl notices Honey’s house is up for sale. This picture book shows how relationships grow and how to deal with people we love moving. The story is told from the little girl’s point of view. I thought it was odd that the author did not name the little girl. The Forever Garden is based very loosely on a Talmudic story. The idea of gardening is an apt metaphor for friendship. The illustrations in this book are in pen and ink on watercolor paper and colored digitally. The author used language that children can relate to.
Verdict: The Forever Garden walks children through how relationships grow and how to handle it when our friends move away. I recommend this book for public libraries, individual libraries, elementary school libraries and classroom libraries.
June 2017 review by Tami Harris.
[Editor’s note: A review from Kirkus notes that The Forever Garden is about a girl named Laurel who becomes friends with the gardener who lives next door, an adult woman named Honey.]
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