THE IMAGINARY GARDEN

Poppa lives in an apartment now, with a tiny, windy balcony instead of a garden. Theo comes up with the idea of an imaginary garden, so she and Poppa put a big canvas out on the balcony and paint sky, a stonewall and earth. First come the crocuses, then the robins. When Poppa goes away for a while, he reminds Theo that the daffodils, vines and tulips should bloom while he is away—and Theo makes sure they do. Flowers in the richest of saturated colors fill the pages, in contrast to the dainty pen-and-ink of the apartment building and its wrought-iron balconies. More than the gardening or even the flowers, the dance of imagination between grandfather and grandchild is sweetly filigreed across the pages. (Picture book. 4-8)