Celia Planted a Garden - Phyllis Root & Gary D. Schmidt - ★★★★

AUTHORS: Phyllis Root & Gary D. Schmidt

ILLUSTRATOR: Melissa Sweet

GENRE: Children's Picture Book.

PUBLICATION DATE:

RATING: 4 stars.

A children’s picture book on the life of Celia Thaxter, the American poet and story writer.

Celia Thaxter (born Celia Laighton) lived on White Island, where everything was either white or gray. So one spring, Celia planted a garden between the rocky ledges. When she was twelve, her family moved to another island and her father established a large hotel. Celia was actively involved in taking care of the guests but she still found time to indulge in her gardening. At sixteen she married Levi Thaxter, who wasn’t fond of islands and hence Celia had to move to the mainland. It was during this time when she was nostalgic for her island and her garden that she wrote her first poem, “Landlocked”. Her poems soon became very popular and Celia continued to focus on her plants as well as other forms of art such as painting.

The book is an ode to Celia’s passion for nature. Every page is an example of how much Celia loved and learned from the environment around her – the flowers, the birds, the sea, the fish, even the storms. The story glosses over the harsh realities of Celia’s life such as the mental health issues of her son or her troublesome marriage with Levi. Instead it presents only a sanitised version of her life as suitable for children. At the end of the story, there is a pretty detailed biography of Celia’s life along with a timeline of key events and a bibliography of/about her works.

Some of the words used are a bit difficult but the imagery in the writing and the anecdote of the hummingbird will please little readers. This is not just a story of how Celia planted her garden but also took inspiration from it to create works of art.

The illustrations are quite simply and in beautiful pastel hues as befits a story about nature. Many of Celia’s actual quotes are hand-written in the illustrations.

Definitely recommended to kids who love nature and to fans of the poet.

As per the official release note, the book is suitable for ages 5 to 9, grades K to 4.

My thanks to Candlewick and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “Celia Planted a Garden”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.