Book Review - Florette by Anna Walker

This is the newest book in my ever-growing picture book collection, and what a beauty it is. From the moment I lay eyes on the front cover, all that luscious green foliage painted in exquisite watercolour, I knew I had to have it.

The blurb reads:

'When Mae's family moves to a new home, she wishes she could bring her garden with her. 
She'll miss the apple trees, the daffodils, and chasing butterflies in the wavy grass. 
But there's no room for a garden in the city. 
Or is there?'

The pages are beautifully illustrated in delicate watercolour and pencil. The soft muted grey tones used for the city, make the pages with greenery look all the more vibrant and special. Each page is a beautiful work of art which makes the eyes linger.  I was especially delighted with the beginning and end pages, which are filled with beautiful foliage and have lots of sweet critters hiding amongst the leaves.

The story tells us about Mae. A little girl who moves from her countryside cottage to the city of Paris. She misses her beautiful garden back home, 'but there was no room among the crowded buildings for apple trees and daffodils'.

Mae searches forlornly for somewhere green and natural to play. She resorts to drawing leaves and flowers on the pavement in chalk, and onto the cardboard boxes that fill up her new home, but it's just not the same. The rain washes her drawings away, and the boxes are unpacked and disappear one by one.

Then, when she is walking through the city, a little bird leads her to the most beautiful 'forest' behind a big window. Hanging vines and delicate flowers grow right up against the glass, filling the building to the brim with greenery. But Mae discovers that the forest is closed.

Then, she notices a tiny green shoot peeping through a gap.

She takes her new found treasure home, and nurtures it until it grows. And with a little time and some help from her friends, Mae manages to create a beautiful green haven in the city.

The final page shows the courtyard where she once desperately chalked flowers onto the concrete, now overflowing with real flowers and leaves. Plants in pots are placed all around, and vines tumble from balconies. And amongst it all, Mae and all her new friends play.

This is essentially a little story about resilience, hope and patience. It shows us how magical nature really is, and how with just a little help, it can flourish, even in the city.

A story gently told, but with a lasting effect.

It is a lovely story for explaining to children about feeling nervous or sad in new surroundings. And about how, with a little resilience, patience and hard work, and perhaps the help of a few friends, you can change things for the better. It also demonstrates the importance of finding nature in everyday life, and the little things we can do to nurture and encourage green spaces for us all to enjoy.