Gently surreal illustrations enliven this highly metaphorical tale of seeds sprouting. The preternaturally round and earthy Anna Zinnia inducts Lucy, ladybug-like in a red-and-black spotted dress and antennae headband, into the secrets of the garden. Under her instruction, Lucy plants some seeds in anticipation of the baby flowers to be born—“But the secret lies in the waiting,” says Anna Zinnia, a lesson Lucy finds hard to take. Anna Zinnia’s garden is a miracle of climatic zones, its rounded contours containing tropical flowers, temperate plants, water lilies, and cacti rendered in lush, jewel-like watercolor and gouache—it’s a terrific visual celebration of the mystical side of gardening. But children are a concrete bunch, and any child who’s waited impatiently for seeds to sprout will wonder how it is that Lucy’s spring into full bloom. In the end, this offering is more concept than story and suffers as such. (Picture book. 3-7)
