I'm always on the lookout for charming and unique picture books and I recently discovered this one through a recommendation on Bluesky. I'm looking forward to sharing more of my Bluesky book discoveries along with tips and ideas for using them in the classroom.
(Find me on Bluesky: @andreamack.bsky.social).
Why this book?
I love hanging out in my garden, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to check out this delightful picture book by author-illustrator Christy Mandin. This story is such fun for curious young gardeners! It will no doubt inspire some interesting STEAM and writing projects.
My thoughts as a creator:
I love the unique twist on the theme of gardening with Millie's very unusual plants. The title made me curious! It was a bit of a surprise that the story in this picture book was charming and not at all scary. I can imagine the illustrations were a lot of fun to work on as there are lots of creative garden possibilities like “tentacled tansy.” The color scheme is in natural tones and reminds me of nature.
My thoughts as an educator:
There can never be too many stories with the theme of celebrating being yourself and following your own passion! This picture book would work well as part of a unit about growing plants and also would be a nice book for talking about developing creative writing ideas.
Ages: 4 - 7
Grades: K - 2
Connections: plants, individuality, being yourself, creativity
Activities:
Social Emotional Learning: Millie's passion was her garden, but what are other things people might care strongly about? Encourage students to draw a picture of one of their own unique interests. What makes you special?
STEAM: Design your own unique and weird plant for Millie's garden. Will your plant be creepy or interesting? What unique features might it have and how will they help the plant survive?
Students can make weird plants in 3D! Provide paper scraps in a range of colours, along with scissors and glue. Demonstrate different ways to tear, bend and fold the paper and encourage students to create different features of the plant.
STEM/Science: Provide "mystery seeds" (e.g., beans, lentils, marigolds, sunflowers) for students along with flower pots and soil. What might grow? Students can make observations and predictions about their growing plants.
Literacy: Retell the story. Question to discuss: Why did the people in the town get upset about Millie's garden?
Visit the author-illustrator online:
Visit the publisher:
Check out the trailer for Millie Fleur's Poison Garden:
