THE SECRET GARDENS OF FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT, by Angelica Shirley Carpenter and Helena Pérez García, Bushel & Peck Books, July 23, 2024, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 4-8)
Discover the story of one of the most beloved children’s book authors in The Secret Gardens of Frances Hodgson Burnett, by Angelica Shirley Carpenter and Helena Pérez García.
Frances Hodgson Burnett―best known for writing The Secret Garden, Little Lord Fauntleroy, and The Little Princess―had a difficult childhood, losing her father when she was very young and moving with her family from England to Tennessee in hopes of a better life.
She’d been making up stories her entire life but didn’t try to write professionally until she was a teenager to help feed her family. Her first submissions to a magazine were published and she eventually became well known all over the world. —Synopsis provided by Bushel & Peck Books
The Secret Gardens of Frances Hodgson Burnett is a gorgeous picture book that immediately catches your eye. From the cut-out keyhole cover to the collage-style front papers, you know this book is something special from the beginning.
Author Angelica Shirley Carpenter sets the stage early:
Fanny Hodgson lived in an ordinary house in and ordinary English village. The inside was ordinary. The sofa and chairs and nursery were ordinary.
But Fanny Hodgson wasn’t ordinary.
With a blink of her eye, fairies filled the rosebushes.
With the wave of her hand, elephants and tigers prowled the lilacs.
From under the apple tree, clouds became moving maps of islands and mountains.
Fanny could imagine anything.
Carpenter’s engaging prose invites readers to explore a story of imagination and hope. Illustrator Helena Pérez García’s vibrant artwork helps you step back into a different time and place. Extensive backmatter includes more about Frances Hodgson Burnett, a timeline, list of selected works for children and adults, a bibliography, and keys to cultivating your own imagination.
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