THE GARDEN FRIEND / EL AMIGO DEL JARDIN
written and illustrated by Mary Frances Baker
In author/illustrator Baker’s English- and Spanish-language picture book, a young girl’s whimsical friend explores the nocturnal world.
When Lucy goes to sleep at night, Gardenia, her tiny “garden friend,” sets out for the nighttime world. Equipped with an acorn-top hat and a curious mind, Gardenia explores the starlit garden with all five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. Though grounded in nature, the story leaps to imaginative heights when Gardenia takes flight on the back of an owl. Later, at sunrise, Gardenia recounts her fantastical findings to Lucy. The story is told in English and Spanish text; both languages appear alongside each other, accompanying Baker’s full-page, botanically detailed pastel illustrations. Overall, the tale presents a natural world that’s full of splendor and wonder, and its whimsical nature is enhanced by the use of rhyming couplets (which the author isn’t always able to preserve in Spanish). The last page is a call for readers to create their own “garden friends” with crafting materials, and backmatter includes bilingual instructions, along with a QR code that links to video. The book also includes sheet music with lyrics for an original song, “Dear Garden Friend.” The array of after-reading activities will spark children’s imaginations while teaching them concrete skills.
A simple bilingual tale that deftly interweaves themes of imagination, friendship, and nature.