The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Boughton

Megan Daley (from Queensland, book blogger, Teacher-Librarian and podcaster) once talked about hosting an exhibition of picture book end papers. She probably only meant to include Australian books but if I could persuade her to look further the end papers in this book should be part of this (imagined) display.

As we have seen in many other books about greening an urban landscape this book begins with a seed. Joe can imagine his city filled with green plants and then one day he eats an apple and finds a seed. 

He "carefully planted the tiny seed. Then he fed it, and watered it, and quietly waited ... "

But nothing happened. Joe went away and forgot about his seed but actually the seed was growing. 

"He stepped outside and discovered that where he had planted the tiny seed now stood the most beautiful tree."

Joe has caught the bug. He gathers more seeds and soon, with his careful attention and nurture, he creates a huge garden. Of course other people notice it and soon every apartment has a balcony garden and the scene is SO huge that you have to fold open three pages. 

The more you look at this book, the more you see – the detail is awesome; and Sam Broughton’s way of using greyness and gradually bringing more and more colour into her scenes is wonderful, culminating in a glorious fold-out. Red Reading Hub

Joe’s story is full of warmth and hope but it’s the illustrations that take centre stage. The grey cityscape – created using techniques including washes, resist work, splatters and collage – forms a visually-accommodating backdrop for Sam's detailed pencil drawings of its wonderfully diverse community, and her colourful transformation of these streets and buildings (and people) is a joy to observe. Cast of Thousands

I also wanted to tell a story that was empowering for children. To show them that even if they have just ‘one’ small idea, with enough hard work they can make big changes. That their actions count and that community and nature is fundamental to our wellbeing. It felt such an important message to say, especially right now. Sam Boughton (Klaus Flugge prize short listed 2019)

Here is an interview with UK artist Sam Boughton about her book. 

Other books with the same theme/message:

The Secret Sky Garden

The Curious Garden

Amira's Suitcase (CBCA Honour Book Early Childhood 2022)

Rose's Garden

The Girl who Planted Trees

The Invisible

I was interested to read Sam Boughton loved Richard Scarry and Eric Carle as a child and today she admires Andrea D’Aquino and Canadian illustrator Sabrina Ward. Sam Boughton has some terrific looking board books - I am keen to see these:

Take a look at this Padlet of High Quality Picture Books for Cross-Curricular Planning by Matthew Tobin. There is a link (scroll down) to a set of very detailed ideas for using The Extraordinary Gardener with a group of students.