A gorgeous book about community, gardens, and more! I really loved this one~

I came across this book at the library (in Dutch) and of course I had to bring it along with me. Just look at that stunning cover! So pretty!

This was a wonderful story. It starts with kids being terrified of a certain home in their neighbourhood and ends with hope, community, and light. I definitely hadn’t expected it to go this deep but I loved it! I loved that our MC was scared but still wanted to go to the lady and see what was up + tell her how gorgeous she found her wild wild garden. And what happens after is even more pretty, I adored how our MC tried her best to do things herself to help out and then went to the community (with cute little letters and stickers) to ask for help. Because this garden needs a lot of love, it needs a lot of care again. I loved seeing the transformation slowly happen. From a wild garden to one that is still wild but less so, more cared for, more open, more light. I loved the community and seeing people band together to help out a neighbour. I hope that everyone can also rally to help the lady with her home, as that one can also use some love and clean-up.

I also loved that it was about depression. At least I am guessing she has that given everything including several things I recognise from myself or from family members. That at times things just don’t want to go anymore. That the darkness is just swallowing it all. That things are just too heavy. I love that the woman knew the kids may not entirely understand it if she explained so she just said her head was ill. I also loved that she allowed the kids and the community in her life again and found hope and some light again. I don’t see this as a spoiler, the blurb itself is hinting quite a lot at it.

The ending was such a happy one and it made me smile.

Gorgeous art! Not just the cover, but also the end papers (be sure to check those out with flowers/plants and butterflies), and the art inside is an absolute gem.

All in all, a story that made me smile, made me cry, and had me wanting to frame all those gorgeous pages to my own wall. Highly recommended!