I recently found a book called The Curious Garden at our local independent book store. Once I picked it up I enjoyed the illustration so much I couldn’t leave the store without it. So, under the pretense of buying it for my daughter, I got it. (Funny how often I do that!)
The author and illustrator is Peter Brown who has done a great job both with a delightful story and great art work. I like to take my design inspirations from a variety of sources and I find his details seem to reflect a lot of the design for the web.
It was definitely a story to promote green spaces, gardens and such, but it also is a pretty straightforward metaphor for the influence each one of us has to start something bigger than ourselves.
So many people are looking away from being followers and more towards being leaders. This book is a simple and time-tested illustration of how each action we take can inspire others to follow our lead (not to become followers themselves) but to believe in something and help nurture it, be that public health, community involvement or less altruistic goals of making stuff people want.
It isn’t necessarily a must-read for everyone, but I think it could be a positive influence in someone’s life who needs encouragement to forge their own path without seeking approval first. Plus the pictures are pretty too.
I hope it inspires many children (including mine) to do likewise and I thank the author for writing, and beautifully illustrating , this inspirational book.
So for personal inspiration, beautiful illustration work, and a fun story for kids or adults, I recommend checking it out. You can get it onable on Amazon, of course, or you can probably find it at a local indie bookstore near you.
