Seeds of Friendship - Hardcover

Michael Foreman is one of the world's leading illustrators. He has won several major awards, including the Smarties Prize, the Kate Greenaway Medal (twice), the Francis Williams Prize (twice) and the Aigle d'Argent at the Festival International du Livre in France. He is the illustrator of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Michael Morpurgo, as well as classics like War Boy, Mia's Story, Say Hello and A Child's Garden. He lives in London, SW15.

PreS-Gr 2— In this story, Adam loves his new high-rise home in the city, but he misses his old home—presumably an African country—and fills his room with pictures of elephants, parrots, lions, and hippos. He sees children playing in the city streets, and misses his friends and the verdant landscape of his old life. Winter comes, and Adam draws jungle animals into the frosted panes of glass and sculpts an elephant in the snow, attracting the attention and friendship of other children. When he starts school, he loves the small garden on the playground, so his teacher gives him some seeds. Adam and his mother plant the seeds in their window box. Adam brings home more and more seeds, and he and his friends plant them everywhere they can, until all the window boxes are full and the rooftop is a lush retreat. "Together they made a garden in the sky." Inspired, they expand their efforts by planting "on any empty patch of ground they could find" until the gray city is transformed into a soft growing green landscape. In the end, Adam understands that "each season will bring its own wonders and colors, and that the seeds of friendship will never die." Foreman's airy watercolors support the dreamy text well, and the transformation of the dreary city is quite beautiful and inspiring. VERDICT A light friendship fable that may inspire urban gardeners, making it a useful addition to library collections.—Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MN