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A Brighter Garden
A celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first publication of Emily Dickinson's extraordinary poetry, selected especially for children by Karen Ackerman. Tasha Tudor's vivid watercolors match the delicacy of the moment and capture the special connection between nature and humanity that Dickinson so brilliantly captured in her words.
63 pages, Hardcover
First published September 27, 1990
About the author
Emily Dickinson
1,584 books6,968 followersEmily Dickinson was an American poet who, despite the fact that less than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime, is widely considered one of the most original and influential poets of the 19th century.
Dickinson was born to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Thought of as an eccentric by the locals, she became known for her penchant for white clothing and her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even leave her room. Most of her friendships were therefore carried out by correspondence.
Although Dickinson was a prolific private poet, fewer than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime.The work that was published during her lifetime was usually altered significantly by the publishers to fit the conventional poetic rules of the time. Dickinson's poems are unique for the era in which she wrote; they contain short lines, typically lack titles, and often use slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation.Many of her poems deal with themes of death and immortality, two recurring topics in letters to her friends.
Although most of her acquaintances were probably aware of Dickinson's writing, it was not until after her death in 1886—when Lavinia, Emily's younger sister, discovered her cache of poems—that the breadth of Dickinson's work became apparent. Her first collection of poetry was published in 1890 by personal acquaintances Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd, both of whom heavily edited the content.
A complete and mostly unaltered collection of her poetry became available for the first time in 1955 when The Poems of Emily Dickinson was published by scholar Thomas H. Johnson. Despite unfavorable reviews and skepticism of her literary prowess during the late 19th and early 20th century, critics now consider Dickinson to be a major American poet.
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/emily-di...
Dickinson was born to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Thought of as an eccentric by the locals, she became known for her penchant for white clothing and her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even leave her room. Most of her friendships were therefore carried out by correspondence.
Although Dickinson was a prolific private poet, fewer than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime.The work that was published during her lifetime was usually altered significantly by the publishers to fit the conventional poetic rules of the time. Dickinson's poems are unique for the era in which she wrote; they contain short lines, typically lack titles, and often use slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation.Many of her poems deal with themes of death and immortality, two recurring topics in letters to her friends.
Although most of her acquaintances were probably aware of Dickinson's writing, it was not until after her death in 1886—when Lavinia, Emily's younger sister, discovered her cache of poems—that the breadth of Dickinson's work became apparent. Her first collection of poetry was published in 1890 by personal acquaintances Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd, both of whom heavily edited the content.
A complete and mostly unaltered collection of her poetry became available for the first time in 1955 when The Poems of Emily Dickinson was published by scholar Thomas H. Johnson. Despite unfavorable reviews and skepticism of her literary prowess during the late 19th and early 20th century, critics now consider Dickinson to be a major American poet.
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/emily-di...
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 16, 2025
Karen Ackerman and Tasha Tudor gather and illustrate Emily Dickinson's poems for children. They stick to her more concrete poems (less "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" and more "A light exists in spring") and ones that anthropomorphize things like March and the moon. The poems are divided into sections, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring, making it great for year-round reading (and ending on a hopeful note). Tudor is absolutely, completely the right person to illustrate this book and it shows. She varies from her 1830s obsession to depict Dickinson in nature, and I love it. Dickinson's poems here will populate children's minds with new ways to notice and imagine about the world around them.
January 26, 2026
My first foray into the world of Emily Dickinson! Since I received Marta McDowell's gardening book about Emily Dickinson for Christmas, I knew I wanted to try out some of her poetry. Poetry for me is either "yay" or "nay" and almost nothing in between. There aren't many poets I love (or, frankly, understand), but Ms. Dickinson has me very intrigued. I recently read a few biographies about her (aimed at children) and loved them.
Because I used to live in Amherst, Massachusetts, I'm even more interested in the life of this poetess. Once I read the book about her gardening life, I'm hoping to revisit the town and perhaps even get to see her writing room in person! We'll see...
Until then, I will continue to read her poetry. I already have several poems that seem extra special to me. A Brighter Garden was a wonderful introduction to her poems, especially with the accompaniment of glorious watercolor art by Tasha Tudor (a favorite illustrator of mine!)
Solidly recommended for anyone as an introduction to both the art of Tasha Tudor and sensitive poetry of Emily Dickinson. I really liked it.
Because I used to live in Amherst, Massachusetts, I'm even more interested in the life of this poetess. Once I read the book about her gardening life, I'm hoping to revisit the town and perhaps even get to see her writing room in person! We'll see...
Until then, I will continue to read her poetry. I already have several poems that seem extra special to me. A Brighter Garden was a wonderful introduction to her poems, especially with the accompaniment of glorious watercolor art by Tasha Tudor (a favorite illustrator of mine!)
Solidly recommended for anyone as an introduction to both the art of Tasha Tudor and sensitive poetry of Emily Dickinson. I really liked it.
April 7, 2023
Read aloud along with the seasons in morning time. We all loved this!
July 17, 2025
Emily Dickinson’s poems instill such a deep sense of peace and Tasha Tudor’s amazing art matches and intensifies this.
January 2, 2024
The watercolor illustrations by Tasha Tudor are lovely.
January 5, 2012
LOVE this book. My mom read it to me when I was about 7 and that's when I found out that I love poetry. The pictures are beautiful and it's a great selection of poems and excerpts of poems for a younger audience. Emily Dickinson will always be my favorite.
September 22, 2020
Split into four segments based on the seasons of the year, these short poems are influential far beyond their length. There is a simplicity in the poetry of Dickinson, she makes a powerful point in only a few lines using strong mental imagery.
The themes are about the outdoors, the differences across the seasons, and the cycles of death and renewal based on the weather. She manages to capture much of a year in a temperate climate in 23 short segments of verse. This book is an excellent primer on the poetic production of one of the best.
The themes are about the outdoors, the differences across the seasons, and the cycles of death and renewal based on the weather. She manages to capture much of a year in a temperate climate in 23 short segments of verse. This book is an excellent primer on the poetic production of one of the best.
May 1, 2023
I'm always looking for more ways to introduce poetry into our reading and this is such a beautiful collection of Dickinson that Wallace (age three) enjoyed. Collected by the seasons and paired with Tudor's illustrations which feel as though they could not only live in Emily's era, but also her her Amherst home.
We read this in spring, a time when the garden is brighter, but I plan to pick it up again in Winter, when we are so eager from those golden days ahead.
We read this in spring, a time when the garden is brighter, but I plan to pick it up again in Winter, when we are so eager from those golden days ahead.
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May 8, 2020This book is absolutely beautiful. This book would be great to add to a poetry unit.
November 29, 2020
I love Emily Dickinson's poems. This book contained some that I had not read. Illustrations by Tasha Tudor added so much to the beauty of this book. It's a book I'll want to share with many.
January 18, 2025
If you have ever or never seen the beautiful art work of Tasha Tudor this is the book for you. Absolutely stunning! And they go so perfectly with the poems of Emily Dickinson.
December 4, 2025
Wow, this is incredible! Each season is beautifully described with poetic words, and the illustrations are absolutely stunning.
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April 18, 2014 This book is full of poems that are divided into the four seasons. There are only one or two stanzas on each page so it is easy to read. Each page has an illustration that shows what the poem was referring too.
This book would be really good to read aloud to elementary school students. These poems would be a fun addition to a unit about seasons with young children. The students could list the different things about the season that they heard in the poem. These poems could also be used to introduce poetry concepts like rhyming.
This book would be really good to read aloud to elementary school students. These poems would be a fun addition to a unit about seasons with young children. The students could list the different things about the season that they heard in the poem. These poems could also be used to introduce poetry concepts like rhyming.
October 23, 2009
This is gorgeous--a feast for the eyes and the spirit. Dickinson's poetry paired with Tudor's lovely illustrations makes for a book that I want to return to over and over. This is one I would like to own!
March 11, 2015
Wonderful book:) Classic poetry and outstanding illustrations!
August 23, 2015
Emily Dickinson's poetry and Tasha Tudor's art...a real gem!
September 21, 2015
Notes:
poetry is abridged
poetry is abridged
May 5, 2018
I read this book over and over as a child to the point of memorizing every poem and it's page number. There's just something about Emily's work that deeply touches me.
July 16, 2008
Autograph: 2002, A.D. Happy Birthday! To Margaux Bea! Tasha Tudor
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews