Noah's Garden

Mo Johnson (author)

Annabelle Josse (illust)

Walker Books, Australia: 2010 ISBN: 9781921150159

Genres: picture book, realistic fiction

Issues: family, hope, illness, imagination

Noah has a garden. It's a very special garden in which all sorts of adventures are possible - pirate attacks, tigers, camel riding, dancing with penguins... if Noah can imagine it, it can happen in his garden. But the one thing he really wants is to have his baby sister there - and that's something even Noah's amazing imagination can't make into reality. Can he?

This very special picture book gently explores the anxiety of those with children in hospital - and the importance of having gardens in which they can relax and be together. Mo Johnson's story is full of both hope and pathos, sure to bring a tear to the eye of adult readers, who will hold their own healthy children all the tighter. Annabelle Josse's beautiful watercolour illustrations celebrate the power of imagination to bring comfort during difficult times and draw the reader into Noah's games. The pictures are carefully juxtaposed so that the reader can interact with the complex images of Noah's imaginative play but feel the isolation and pain shown in the more realistic snaps of Noah with his tired family. An optimistic conclusion relieves the tension without being unrealistic.

Highly recommended.