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The Secret Garden
Discover the charm of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic story, in which two lonely children's lives are transformed by the wonder and magic of a secret garden.
22 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Lesley Sims
259 books31 followersLesley dreamed of being a writer, but studied law as her mother insisted she had "something to fall back on". Since joining Usborne Publishing, she has written and edited hundreds of books, from funny rhyming stories to an award-winning history book. Nowadays, she is often found recording books, too, in Usborne's very own recording studio.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 2, 2019
Such a beautiful, dreamy illustration.
January 29, 2020
Huh?!?
How come I gave this book 5 stars in my first review back in 2016?! It's NOT 5 stars so I don't know what I'd been thinking. I'm guessing I rated it based on the fact that it's my all time favourite story BUT, let me speak about this edition.
2 stars.
Yeah that's right. 2 measly stars because it was just (and I mean JUST) OK. I didn't like the illustrations. I know little Rachel wouldn't have liked them either. The story was so choppy. They needed to add at least another 4 to 8 pages. And yes I am keeping in mind that this is a picture book. But the biggest flaw with this was that it ended so suddenly. I was all, 'wtf?! Where is the last page?'
So no. Just no. The book is more like 1.5 stars but I bumped it up because it is still, The Secret Garden after all.
But would I recommend this edition? Well if you haven't figured that out yet, No. No I would not. I hope there is another picture book of this around that's actually really good and does justice to the actual classic story.
How come I gave this book 5 stars in my first review back in 2016?! It's NOT 5 stars so I don't know what I'd been thinking. I'm guessing I rated it based on the fact that it's my all time favourite story BUT, let me speak about this edition.
2 stars.
Yeah that's right. 2 measly stars because it was just (and I mean JUST) OK. I didn't like the illustrations. I know little Rachel wouldn't have liked them either. The story was so choppy. They needed to add at least another 4 to 8 pages. And yes I am keeping in mind that this is a picture book. But the biggest flaw with this was that it ended so suddenly. I was all, 'wtf?! Where is the last page?'
So no. Just no. The book is more like 1.5 stars but I bumped it up because it is still, The Secret Garden after all.
But would I recommend this edition? Well if you haven't figured that out yet, No. No I would not. I hope there is another picture book of this around that's actually really good and does justice to the actual classic story.
May 25, 2022
A really sweet book with some great illustrations!
October 11, 2017
This adaptation misses the mark.
January 25, 2020
A good retelling with fantastic pictures.
November 8, 2023
Th ending felt abrupt. I was expecting one more spread of them all in the garden.
March 20, 2013
Summary. The Secret Garden is a wonderful picture book that is based on the novel. This story reveals a girl named Mary who originally lives in India where she lived with her parents until she had lost them. She has an uncle who lives in England and decides she should move there as well. There she finds a beautiful secret garden. She searches for the key which her uncle threw away and she explores a beautiful garden. She finds her sick cousin in her house in England. She becomes friends with him and decides to show him the secret garden. They both believed that the magic of the secret garden cured her cousin's illness.
Response: I loved this book. The illustrations were beautiful. I think it's a wonderful book to be shared with students through curriculum or just for fun. Students would really enjoy this book. I like how it talks about magic through the secret garden. My favorite part was when Mary realized that her cousin was cured because of the garden. I thought that was an important and good aspect of the book. The story made me feel very hopeful and positive.
Classroom Connections: This book would be perfect to use with a language arts assignment. The story can be read out loud to the students and help students make text to text and text to self connections with the story. Students will able to write a journal about how this story makes them feel. Students can also be able to relate a situation or something in their lives that they believe is magical or hopeful to them. This story has beautiful illustrations. For younger grade levels I believe students can also sketch out a scene or a picture from the story which was their favorite part and discuss why.
Text Complexity: Lexile.com did not provide any lexile grade for this book. Although I think this book is wonderul to share with students Kindergarten through second grade. The expectations for assignments should be varied depending on the grade level. I would definitely like to share this book with my students.
Response: I loved this book. The illustrations were beautiful. I think it's a wonderful book to be shared with students through curriculum or just for fun. Students would really enjoy this book. I like how it talks about magic through the secret garden. My favorite part was when Mary realized that her cousin was cured because of the garden. I thought that was an important and good aspect of the book. The story made me feel very hopeful and positive.
Classroom Connections: This book would be perfect to use with a language arts assignment. The story can be read out loud to the students and help students make text to text and text to self connections with the story. Students will able to write a journal about how this story makes them feel. Students can also be able to relate a situation or something in their lives that they believe is magical or hopeful to them. This story has beautiful illustrations. For younger grade levels I believe students can also sketch out a scene or a picture from the story which was their favorite part and discuss why.
Text Complexity: Lexile.com did not provide any lexile grade for this book. Although I think this book is wonderul to share with students Kindergarten through second grade. The expectations for assignments should be varied depending on the grade level. I would definitely like to share this book with my students.
February 18, 2013
Annotation:
The Secret Garden is a picture book and a shortened version is of the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. A young girl named Mary lost both of her parents and was forced to move in with her uncle in England. She finds out there is a secret garden and is determined to find it, and she does. She brings this magic garden back to life and helps her cousin get better from his illness.
The illustrations were beautiful and depicted what was happening throughout the story very well.
Response:
I thought this was a very well written book. The most interesting part to me is that this is the shortened version and that there is a chapter book that tells the same story only with more detail. This is a feel good story, it symbolizes that you can’t give up when things get tough and you will always have your family when you need help.
Classroom Connections:
This book would be a great class read aloud and a beginning discussion of flowers and colors. The class could talk about the different kinds of flowers there are and what colors they are. This would also be a good way to talk about what a plant contains and how they grow. The classroom could even be made into its own secret garden and have each student grow a plant from a little seed and journal each day about their plant.
Reading Complexity:
I would recommend this book for ages 5 and up. I think this would be a good read aloud book for K+ and as an independent read by 2nd grade. Lexile.com did not have this book for lexile only its extended version and that was a 510L.
The Secret Garden is a picture book and a shortened version is of the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. A young girl named Mary lost both of her parents and was forced to move in with her uncle in England. She finds out there is a secret garden and is determined to find it, and she does. She brings this magic garden back to life and helps her cousin get better from his illness.
The illustrations were beautiful and depicted what was happening throughout the story very well.
Response:
I thought this was a very well written book. The most interesting part to me is that this is the shortened version and that there is a chapter book that tells the same story only with more detail. This is a feel good story, it symbolizes that you can’t give up when things get tough and you will always have your family when you need help.
Classroom Connections:
This book would be a great class read aloud and a beginning discussion of flowers and colors. The class could talk about the different kinds of flowers there are and what colors they are. This would also be a good way to talk about what a plant contains and how they grow. The classroom could even be made into its own secret garden and have each student grow a plant from a little seed and journal each day about their plant.
Reading Complexity:
I would recommend this book for ages 5 and up. I think this would be a good read aloud book for K+ and as an independent read by 2nd grade. Lexile.com did not have this book for lexile only its extended version and that was a 510L.
April 9, 2014
I listened to this book on tape this time around. I was looking for math and science in the book, Someone had mentioned to me that this would book would lead to good discussions for these subjects. I was a gold mine to me of possible themes that could be used for an awesome discussion.
Themes I found was, Love transcends and makes us stronger. Being in Nature and observing Nature helps us to discover ourselves, the Nature of God, and human Nature. You could also discuss spring, seasons of planting how to observe nature and learn from it, learn about plants, seeds, and animals. There are probably a few more themes in there but these really stood out to me. I look forward to using this book with my class and hearing what treasures of wisdom they find.
Themes I found was, Love transcends and makes us stronger. Being in Nature and observing Nature helps us to discover ourselves, the Nature of God, and human Nature. You could also discuss spring, seasons of planting how to observe nature and learn from it, learn about plants, seeds, and animals. There are probably a few more themes in there but these really stood out to me. I look forward to using this book with my class and hearing what treasures of wisdom they find.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews