The Watering Can

by Julien Baer, Selene Bright (translator), Marie Dorléans (illustrator)

A whimsical book about a magical watering can that can make more than just flowers grow, from the illustrator of The Night Walk and Our Fort.

This silly story about the power of everyday things will inspire kids to reuse and recycle objects in their own life in new ways.

On her way home one day, Nina finds a yellow watering can on the sidewalk. “It’s just an old piece of junk,” says her neighbor. Nina disagrees. She likes to recycle and save what she can from the trash. Besides, today is her day to water the plants, so she brings the bright can home and gets to work. But a tremendous surprise awaits her, because this is no ordinary watering can; in fact, it just might be magic.

With echoes of Alice in Wonderland’s enchanted potions, and the giant mess in The Cat in the Hat that must be cleaned up before Mom gets home, The Watering Can is a delightfully zany and colorful story that makes us reconsider the everyday objects all around us and consider new ways to reuse and recycle. A city street can be a wondrous place, especially as imagined by the pop singer and artist Julien Baer and New York Times-acclaimed illustrator Marie Dorléans. For ages four to seven years old.

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Childrens

48 pages, Hardcover

Published March 11, 2025

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations. So detailed, but in a fun style. The clothes, the items in the rooms, the things on the street. Every image was details and very cool. A girl picks up an old watering can that her neighbor is giving away. When she takes it home and uses it she discovers that it's magical and can make things get bigger. She experiments with water temperature and watering various things in her home, including her cat! Kids will love this.

[Bee Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun and imaginative book! Richly illustrated with a story that was equally captivating for my five year old and my almost eight-year old. (Not to mention me, the grown-up.) Glad it found its way into the US market.

[Isadora Guercovich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Histoire rigolote et imaginative, j'adore les illustrations aussi, colorés, remplies des détails qui font rire. J'aime bien les histoires où les enfants trouve des solutions tous seuls pour ce qu'ils ont eux même crée.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure about this one... I get it, has reminiscent vibes of Harold and the Purple Crayon, but somehow I got lost a little following the storyline here...

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

So dramatic, unrealistic but fun!

[Chantal HK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Album original dans lequel on retrouve plusieurs détails et références dans les images. Beaucoup de point de départ potentiels pour des situations d'écriture et le travail imaginaire. Par exemple, dans la pile ou la fillette ramasse l'arrosoir, on pourrait demander aux enfants ce que eux aurait pris, et d'inventer un pouvoir magique pour l'objet choisi!
Excellent potentiel pédagogique.