Rediscover the magic of this best loved children’s classic about a mysterious secret garden. It’s a tale of death and resurrection, of love lost and friendship found.
Nine-year-old Mary Lennox is sent to England to live with her uncle after her parent’s tragic death in India. She finds her new home dreadfully boring – until she discovers an old, rusty key buried in the ground. The key unlocks the door to the secret garden that once belonged to her aunt (who died many years ago). Mary explores the neglected garden with the housemaid’s younger brother, Dickon.
Uncle Craven, it turns out, has kept quite a few family secrets: his wife’s forgotten garden and a sickly son named Colin. Mary tends the garden to bring it back to life; the healing magic of the garden brings life to her ailing cousin Colin. This picture book format with its bright, colorful illustrations would appeal to younger readers and make a soothing bedtime story. Older readers may prefer to read the original literature classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
For other classic picture books for children, read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, or Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (click on links below for book reviews).