GIFTS FROM GEORGIA’S GARDEN: HOW GEORGIA O’KEEFFE NOURISHED HER ART, by Lisa Robinson and Hadley Hooper, Neal Porter Books, March 19, 2024, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 4-8)
Gifts from Georgia’s Garden: How Georgia O’keeffe Nourished Her Art, by Lisa Robinson and Hadley Hooper, is a celebration of art.
Most of us have heard the name Georgia O’Keeffe— she’s one of the most famous women in art history. But did you know that for most of her life, she lived on her own land in New Mexico, grew her own food, bought locally, and even made her own clothing?
Georgia’s garden and her art fed and enriched one another, just as her bean plants enriched the soil and her home-grown feasts fed her friends. In spite of the era’s prejudice against female artists, Georgia lived and thrived in her verdant sanctuary well into old age.
Gifts from Georgia’s Garden illuminates the life and philosophy of a figure every child should know. Backmatter adds context to O’Keeffe’s story and invites families to try out her sustainable gardening techniques— and her pecan butterball cookies. —Synopsis provided by Neal Porter Books
“To Georgia, everything was art, and art was everything.”
Author Lisa Robinson tells Georgia’s story through often-sparse text is lyrical in its phrasing. Her text mirrors Georgia’s paintings in its elegance and simplicity. Artist Hadley Hooper’s beautiful illustrations pay homage to the artist while remaining unique. An excellent section at the back offers more about Georgia, discusses sustainable gardening, and features Georgia’s Pecan Butterballs recipe.
Gifts from Georgia’s Garden is a fascinating picture book biography that will especially appeal to budding artists and horticulturists.
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