ReadItDaddy's Book of the Week - Week Ending 12th June 2015 - "The Little Gardener" by Emily Hughes (Flying Eye Books)

Effortlessly, Emily Hughes steams into our "Book of the Week" slot, making it two for two with her books absolutely wowing us and making us want to hug them with glee.

We loved "Wild", Emily's first picture book for Flying Eye, featuring exactly the sort of character we can't help falling in love with - a joyful little feral girl who absolutely DID NOT want to be tamed.

Emily's glorious illustrations and gentle storytelling made her one to watch back when "Wild" first exploded onto the scene, and proving she's no one-hit wonder her latest book "The Little Gardener" is just as splendid and fantastic.

The titular little gardener is a tiny little boy who loves his garden (and his pet worm, Wormy! More about him later on!) The little boy toils long and hard in the garden, but when you're a tiny teeny little mite, coping with the weeds, the watering, the feeding and the nurturing of the local plant life really is a full time job.

From the crack of dawn, and sometimes right through the night, the little gardener struggles to keep on top of the garden duties. But there is hope, in the form of one perfect flower - blooming amidst the weeds and chaos. This glorious red bloom spurs the little gardener on but one night, it all becomes too much for him and he makes a single wish...

Will his wish come true? We really REALLY don't want to spoil a morsel of this gorgeous tale for you so you really will have to go and pick up a copy to find out whether the little fellah's hard work is rewarded. We mentioned Wormy earlier on, we think that it's very unusual for worms to steal the show in any book but Wormy (behaving a lot like a naughty little puppy - for example ignoring his well-turned-over earthy Wormy basket in favour of sleeping right in the middle of the little gardener's bed) will strike a chord with any dog owners who pick up a copy of this book.

Emily's stories are gentle, their messages conveyed with such delicate beauty that they truly wow us but her illustrations - oh my, her illustrations are utterly and completely glorious in every way.


You're in for a real treat with this one. If you want to find out more about one of the most talented and brilliant storytellers working in children's literature today, you definitely need to find out more about Emily Hughes and her glorious books - starting with "Wild" and moving quickly onto this!

Charlotte's best bit: Naughty Wormy making himself very comfortable in the little gardener's lovely comfy bed

Daddy's Favourite bit: Effortless and brilliant gentle storytelling, artwork to die for, children's picture books don't get any better than this!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Flying Eye Books)

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"Wild" by Emily Hughes (Flying Eye Books)