Poppy and the Blooms

by Fiona Woodcock (Contributor)

When a group of zesty wildflower characters discover that the last green space in the city is about to be paved over, they decide they have to act!
A positive, uplifting story about how the actions of even the smallest can have a big impact.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nature, Gardening, Friendship, Adventure, Juvenile

32 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 10, 2017

About the author

Fiona Woodcock knew a long time ago when she was growing up in Leicester that she wanted to earn her living drawing. Since graduating from Glasgow School of Art she has been working freelance in London on animated films, commercials and illustration work. Recently she has been concentrating on developing picture book ideas and her debut author/illustrated picture book Hiding Heidi was published in July 2016 by Simon and Schuster.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our 4 flower friends have a mission to save a park in the city. It is a journey to find the last park in the city and help things grow. Luckily, the plucky petals can find their way. The gray bleak city needs their color and sunshine.

My niece enjoyed this book and we had a hard time figuring out what our favorite flower was. I went with poppy - being red and she went with bluebell being blue eventually. She was in a mood to read something like this which was nice.

A fun little short book about the spirits of plants. Loved.

[Stefanie Foard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations with a great message, but the story falls a bit flat.

[Gmr · Rating 4 out of 5]

What at first sight appears to be a storybook about this dainty little quartet of flower girls, turns out to be a skaters adventure through the streets of New York to bring back some of the color lost to our world. A most unexpected story with four leads you can't help but adore, and a great departure from the usual female roles assigned even in storybooks, allowing those girls with a little more grit, a little more grr, to find themselves in stories too!


**copy received for review

[Crystal]

Final copy via publisher

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the illustrations, but the story was weak and flat.

[Sevval · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitabı izlemesi okumasından daha eğlenceliydi, çizimleri gerçekten harika ve rengarenk. Hikaye ise biraz zayıf kaçıyor ama sanırım bu hikayeyi çocuklara şöyle özetlerdim; küçücük çiçekler ve onların onlardan da küçük tohumları baharı getirir ve büyük değişimler yaratırlar!

[Amy Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐s for the lovely pictures

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one but it just felt so blah while reading. I felt like it was going "and then and then and then and then" over and over. The story seemed like it would have a great message but the writing just wasn't what I was hoping for.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but lacking....something. The illustrations were fun, even if not exactly my style. The story.... it seemed to maybe rely too heavily on the illustrations? There were a few times I really wasn't sure what was happening, even with the pictures.

Its got a lot of heart, though. I think kids will really like it.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very cute.
It's four, stereotypically presenting-as-female flower characters setting out to save a park.
Three are skateboarders, one has a scooter.

It took a few pages for me to see what was truly revealed at the end...
Not only do they save the park, but they spread flowers all throughout the city during their journey.

Lovely artwork!

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable flower friends having an awesome adventure. Magnificent illustrations.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I LOVE poppies so I was immediately charmed by these twee illustrations. Woodcock is obviously a talented illustrator with a good concept -- but I wish she would've made it a wordless picture book or partnered with somebody who could help strengthen the narrative. At times, I felt like the text was just mere descriptions of her artwork.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four flower friends go to the city to save the last park from closing. Along the way they drop seeds so they not only beautify the park but also the whole city.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very beautiful story and illustrations.

[Ann-marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story about four flower fairy friends finding a way to make their mark. Poppy wakes up one morning and gets a "strange tingling feeling." She then sees the sign about the closing of the only park left in the city. She summons her friends Buttercup, Bluebell, and Dandy and they set off on an adventure to save the day. Poppy and her friends are all about positivity and “spreading sunshine wherever they go.” Although they run into various obstacles, they never give up and eventually achieve their goal. The boldly colored personified floral characters pops against the dingy, gray urban backdrops. The compositions are varied and effective as the Blooms brighten everything in their paths. VERDICT This book not only will introduce young children to various types of flowers but also conveys the message that even the smallest among us can make a difference in the world. Best suited for one-on-one and small group sharing.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high expectations based on the amazing art on the book cover and I was a little bit disappointed. The story didn't flow that well for me. I wanted to know if the park was saved. I mean we can assume it did, but we don't know for sure. I would have liked some clarification. It was also strange how one of the faeries just came upon the sign that said the park is closing. I would have liked more foreshadowing to that point.

The art didn't disappoint though. The art was fabulous as the faeries were so cute and gorgeous. I loved the art so much. I also really liked how all the faeries rode skateboards. That was an awesome addition to the characters.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four little floral friends find that the last park in the city has fallen into disrepair and will be closed. Together they journey through the city and spread some beauty to the dreary landscape, saving the park. The pictures were my favorite part of the book. The characters are cute and the contrast between color and grayscale is very different than the illustrations in most children’s books. The story though was just ok, even a little disappointing. There wasn’t a ton of detail or action, it just left me feeling like some part of the story was left out.

[Heydi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely one of my favorites in a while. These flowers decide they’re going to save the park by making things grow. How will they get there? On skateboards! Will they get it done in time? You’ll have to read it to find out.

The illustrations are enchanting.

[Amy Hurrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated but a disappointing story

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I really wanted to like this . . . but, not so much.

[Mary Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Four flowers change the world.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very beautifully illustrated book but the story is pretty flimsy.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the idea but not the story or the characters

[Rüzgar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very poor story with colorful drawings...

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are pretty.

[Francis S. Poesy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable illustrations but I agree with other reviewers that the story was cliché and fell flat. Really love the illustrations though.

[dilara · Rating 4 out of 5]

farklı güzel tatlı çiçeklerin birer karakter olup arkadaş olmaları ve tomurcuklar saçmaları ne kadar tatlı bi konsept

[Mrs Heet -Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story with wonderful illustrations, just a little on the long side.

[selah :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) Modern Fantasy Fiction
Ages: 4-8
I think the illustrations in the story are very well done and I loved the blow pen art that the author uses throughout the story to add fun pop’s of color and texture. However, as I read the story to me there felt like some parts were missing that would’ve made the story more complete. For example, why do the flowers spread joy? Why did Poppy feel the need to go to the city? When they got to the city there wasn’t much explanation either of why the flower do what they do. But overall, it was a cute story.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty art, meh story.