📖 Overview
Mae moves from the countryside to an urban apartment with her family. In her new city home, she misses the garden she left behind.
Mae explores her concrete surroundings while adjusting to city life. Her wanderings lead her to discover Florette, a local plant shop with windows full of greenery.
This picture book pairs spare text with watercolor illustrations that contrast city grays with natural greens. The artwork captures both urban environments and botanical details.
The story speaks to children's resilience and their ability to find beauty in unexpected places. It presents themes of adaptation, hope, and the enduring human connection to nature.
👀 Reviews
Readers appreciate the watercolor illustrations showing both city landscapes and natural elements, with many noting how the art captures the feeling of moving to a new place. Parents and teachers report the book resonates with children who have experienced relocation.
Specific praise focuses on the minimal text that allows the artwork to tell the story. Multiple reviewers note their children request repeated readings and spend time examining the detailed illustrations.
Some readers mention the story's pacing feels slow and a few found the ending abrupt.
Ratings:
Goodreads: 4.14/5 (1,073 ratings)
Amazon: 4.8/5 (116 ratings)
Book Depository: 4.5/5 (28 ratings)
Sample reader comment: "The illustrations tell as much of the story as the words do. My 4-year-old noticed new details each time we read it." - Goodreads reviewer
Critical comment: "Beautiful art but the story itself lacks momentum." - Amazon reviewer
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The Curious Garden by Peter Brown A boy transforms an abandoned railway into a green space that spreads throughout his gray city.
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner A child and grandmother work together through the seasons to grow a garden while discovering the life that exists above and below the soil.
And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano A boy plants seeds in the brown earth and waits through weeks of rain and cold until green shoots emerge.
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney A woman fulfills her promise to make the world more beautiful by planting lupines throughout her coastal town.
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown A boy transforms an abandoned railway into a green space that spreads throughout his gray city.
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner A child and grandmother work together through the seasons to grow a garden while discovering the life that exists above and below the soil.
And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano A boy plants seeds in the brown earth and waits through weeks of rain and cold until green shoots emerge.
🤔 Interesting facts
🌿 Author Anna Walker was inspired to write Florette after visiting Paris and seeing how city gardens brought life and beauty to urban spaces.
🌱 The story reflects the growing "urban gardening" movement, where city dwellers create green spaces in unexpected places like balconies, rooftops, and tiny courtyards.
🏡 The main character Mae's journey mirrors many children's experiences of moving to a new home, with studies showing that approximately 40 million Americans move each year.
🎨 The delicate watercolor illustrations in Florette were created using a combination of traditional techniques and digital enhancement to capture the contrast between city structures and natural elements.
🌺 The name "Florette" is derived from the French word "fleur" (meaning flower), and the book showcases real Parisian garden shops that inspired the story's setting.