Here in the Garden (Briony Stewart)

Here in the Garden is a gentle picture book about the loss of a loved one. It begins with the wind blowing through the falling leaves and a forlorn boy sitting on a tree-stump looking sorry for himself. ‘I wish that you were here,’ the boy thinks and then lists the many gardening activities that he and his absent friend used to do, such as skipping through the fallen branches, searching for the biggest and brightest leaves, planting seedlings and watching the drifting clouds roll across the sky. The narration moves through the seasonal changes, so we get to see the same tree in all its red-hued autumnal beauty, then denuded, then growing its first shoots again. Hence, regeneration, regrowth and the passing of time are subtly interwoven into the fabric of the story. Though it becomes evident that the missing friend is the boy’s rabbit, the book could easily be about any type of a loss—not just bereavement of a pet, but perhaps a friend moving away. Eventually the boy realises that he can keep his friend nearby through the power of memories and love. This is a great book for preschoolers to prepare them for the concepts of grief
and death. 

Thuy On is a Melbourne-based reviewer and the books editor of the Big Issue

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews