Mrs Noah's Garden

Mrs Noah's Garden is written by Jackie Morris illustrated by James Mayhew. The story is of post-biblical floods and the task of making the world a beautiful and harmonious place.

The story sees Mrs Noah looking out at a muddy, barren landscape. She misses the garden that she used to have and so, with the seeds in her pocket and the help from mythical creatures and children, she sets to work.  The plot follows an expected trajectory, however, and it is written so beautifully that you will just get lost in the text and illustrations. Although, I use the term 'illustrations' loosely; rather, I would describe the pictures on the page as sheer works of art. Every single page is an absolute masterpiece. I love how you can see the beauty come back to the planet and the wildlife that follows.

I think it is remarkable how the first thing that my son and I wanted to do upon opening the first page, was to feel the paper. We both expected to feel some sort of texture. My son was able to retell the story through the artwork alone. Well done James Mayhew!  

My youngest (4yrs) didn't quite understand the story, however, my six year old did. Therefore, I would recommend this for children aged 5-10yrs. With regards to school use, it would undoubtedly have a place when doing religious education or as a follow up to the traditional Noah's ark story.

I think it would be great to do a piece of writing after reading this book (or Noah's Ark), getting the children to carry the story on using a story mountain. It would be really interesting to see what they come up with. Another use might be to simply look at the front cover and do a piece of writing from that: any book with a dragon and a unicorn on the cover is bound to spark a child's imagination!

A lovely book that is beautifully written and incredibly illustrated. A pleasure to read.

40 pages / Ages 5-10 years / Reviewed by James Hewish, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+