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Mary Frances Baker spent her childhood exploring every nook and hollow of the ravine behind her house. She delighted in making bug homes out of sticks, in chasing frogs and lizards, and in collecting pockets-full of honeysuckle and clover blossoms. She drew pictures of her dreams, which bloomed on pages of crayoned woodlands and gardens. She hopes to bring this same wonder and curiosity to children today, by sharing stories and pictures that awaken their imaginations. Mary Frances currently lives in the big city of Dallas, Texas. When she is not busy teaching the youngest of musicians, she is looking for ways to escape into nature with her family.
Reviewed by Inga Buccella for Readers' Favorite
The Garden Friend by Mary Frances Baker is a fanciful, rhyming, beautifully illustrated story featuring an acorn-topped creature. The tale is in English, with a Spanish translation provided beneath each line of the poem. In the dark of night, the Garden Friend, through its senses, discovers the delights that nature has to offer. Long after most people are asleep in their beds, the garden comes alive. The cute garden creature tastes juicy vegetables, smells sweet scents, and hears crickets singing their chirping songs. At the end of the book, there are instructions on making your own Garden Friend and where to place it so that it can have adventures in your garden! After the craft instruction, there are lyrics and music so you can sing a song about your Garden Friend.
Ever since I was little, woodland creatures like gnomes and fairies have fascinated me. So, when I found The Garden Friend by Mary Frances Baker, I was an eight-year-old girl again. In this book, I discovered the secrets of nature through whimsical drawings and the enchanting, poetic story. The colorful, childlike art created on a black background, also by Baker, pops off the pages. The Garden Friend should be on your bookshelf along with other classics, like Peter Rabbit and The Velveteen Rabbit. What I like most about this precious book is that it is interactive. First, the charming creature invites us mere mortals to look beneath bushes and leaves to discover the nocturnal world. Secondly, we can use our imaginations to create our own Garden Friend. Lastly, we can sing a song about The Garden Friend. Because reading this book fosters awareness and appreciation for nature, and because it’s such a fun read, I’m giving it five bright stars that you may glimpse sparkling against the jet-black night sky.
