The Curious Garden

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown begins with a bleak, gray city scene where only one little boy chooses to walk outside. There are smokestacks, factories, and lots of concrete, but nothing green or colorful. One day, Liam discovers a small patch of wildflowers on an old railroad track. He is so pleased that he decides to nurture them. Although his gardening skills need work, the little patch eventually begins to spread farther and farther along the tracks, and then stretches down into the city streets, roofs of buildings, and so on. The other city residents come out to enjoy it and begin to help care for the plants and grow their own.

The contrast in the illustrations at the beginning with the lush, vibrant landscape in the end is wonderful and a captivating way for a child to become interested in gardening or to simply realize how one person can really make a difference. In the end, we see Liam still tending to the plants as an adult and bringing his wife and children to help, passing on his love for the beautiful plants and flowers to them.

According to the author's site, "The Curious Garden was inspired by the High Line, an old abandoned railway in New York City that has become overgrown with wildlife and trees."