April’s Garden

I love the beautiful cover

EVA

Alexandra Readers

Aya

Dovery Academy

April’s garden is a powerful story about a little girl who finds a new home. I love how April’s emotions reflect the colour palette and even weather on different pages, when April was mad and annoyed the colours changed to black and blue, as if they were almost responding to her anger. I also particularly loved how on some pages the writing was sort of stuck onto the page like a scrapbook. April’s mother tells her about silver linings, but with everything that was going on April starts losing faith in them, she’s in a new home, with new toys, starting a new life. So her mother tells her to draw, draw a life that she wanted, somewhere where instead of feeling afraid she could be happy. Finally, things start to look up again, April finds a hobby: gardening. And although at first the seeds won’t grow, with a little patience…..the flower seeds spring up: they represent hope, a new fresh start, and as they grow, April’s heart grows too. Overall, I would give this book an 8/10 for children 9+ who love nature.

Angelica

Latymer Prep Shadowers

Eva

Alexandra Readers

Chloe

Southborough Shadowers

Pascal

Southborough Shadowers

This book is about the Tree and the River (as the title suggests) and how through each civilization, they are still together even if there are so many people near them. The illustrations are stunning and even the lightest details make a difference. My favourite spread is definitely the last page because it looks like a calm moment and it shows how beautiful the world can be. The front cover is definitely a genius idea. The reflection of the river showing a city even though it really is just wood. I would give this book a 10/10 for the amazing illustrations and even if there’s no words the book expresses a lot.

Chelsea

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is a touching story about April and her mother. April and her mother were forced out of their house and have to stay at a safehouse, but April is the only child there. I like this book because even though it shows how scary the real world can be and how sometimes life’s just not fair, there is still hope even if there seems like there’s none. It’s cool how the sadder spreads have more monotone, gloomy dark colours and how happier spreads have more warm, bright colours. My favourite spread is when April starts to fill up the flower cups because this gives one of the first signs of hope in her life at the safehouse, This book is for slightly older audiences like 9-10+ as it includes the subject of trauma and could leave you confused if you’re younger. I give this book a 8.5/10. ⭐

Chelsea

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April's Garden is a sad story about a girl called April. April’s Dad was being abusive towards them and then forced April and her Mother out of their house. They then moved to a safehouse. I like this book because it shows us the problems that are actually going on in the World and it expresses April’s emotions in the colours. The colours are mostly dull and sad but at the end when April is finally happy again, the colours are bright. My favourite double page spread is when April is putting on her coat and shoes and goes outside. I would recommend this book to anyone 10+ as it is very serious and if you were younger than 10 you might not understand the storyline or you might be a bit worried or confused. I would give this book a 10/10!

Nadia

Latymer Prep Shadowers

This is an inspiring book about a little girl called April that has escaped from her house with her mum. I liked this book because it’s good to know that I’m not the only one who suffers from a tragedy. I thought the book was a little bit too grey and dark for my liking. In one of the pictures everything is dark and grey but the curtain was open and there was light so I think that was a sign of hope. At the end there was happiness which was nice. For the age rating I’ll put 8+. I’d give this book a 7.3/10😊.

Emilie

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is a wonderful and heartwarming story where April and her mum go on a journey to a place where they can be free from all distress. I love how all the colours are gloomy to show how April is angry. I also love the fact that the flowers are colourful and really stand out to the rest of the page. April has many emotions in this book and feels certain things at certain times. For example when the flowers do not grow April is sad but when the flowers start to grow she does not even reply to her mum. I rate this a 8.5/10. I recommend this book to people 4+ because of the sadness and you need to understand why. 💐

Annabelle

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April's garden is a meaningfully illustrated story about a young girl who has to flee home. I love April's garden because of the sweet illustrations. The detail of emotions really captures how April is feeling. I'm also very fond of how the flowers represent April's hope, the clouds and rain represent her sadness and anger, and how she clutches onto the doll with the tangled hair even though she says "For a BABY!" April also symbolizes many other children all around the world who have suffered the same trauma as her. Overall, I think this book is aimed at older children who can understand what this story is truly about. Younger children can read it too, but they may find it a bit bland. I'd also recommend this book to children that feel down in the dumps. All in all, I would rate this book an 8/10!

Maya M

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April's garden is an inspiring book which tells you that the world is not all perfect and not everything goes your way. This book tells you about safe houses and that some people struggle more than others and that not everyone has a nice and perfect life. The book is creatively illustrated and the illustrations look like they were done by a child. This shows how the story is focused on April’s life and how it is very confusing. I would recommend this book to people who are having their own problems. I didn’t really like this book so i would rate it a 6/10

Pedro

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April's garden is a great book about a little girl called April who had to move from their home. She becomes very sad and depressed so the colours are quite grey and the story isn’t the most fun. The story. She finds some seeds and plants them into little cups. The plants grow as april does and finally they can move back to a house. This is a interesting story but is a bit dull compared to the rest of the stories in the shortlist. I would recommend this to 7+ and i would rate it 5.5/10.

Jensen

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is the touching tale of April and her Mother as they journey from home to home with 6 seed filled mud cups. The washed out, liquid charcoal colours and the brightness of the flowers contrasted immensely and gave the book a very calming and spotlighted feel. April is a sweet, and relatable little girl and is an amazing character for children who have experienced similar things to empathise with. Despite being slightly grey, this makes the brighter coloured scenes even happier and brighter than they would have been. This, in a way, reflects April’s life. The very upsetting parts are difficult to get through for everybody, but they make the hopeful and joyous parts even more wonderful to experience. I would recommend this book to anyone who has experienced hard times in their lives, knows someone who has gone through something tricky or simply wants to get a better understanding of how some people’s lives are actually like. But if the reader is 9 years old or over, it’s better as there are some scary, sensitive, serious and complicated topics that older children would understand better. Overall, it’s a splendid book! 8.7/10 from me.

Derin

Latymer Prep Shadowers

This is a book about April and her quest to find happiness and joy and a safe place. I enjoy this book because it shows that you can always find happiness even when everything is looking down. I also like how everything is dull showing April's gloom and when there is a storm it shows April's anger. When the flowers bloom it shows all of April's joy and that she is happy. This is a good book and I would recommend it for people over 10. I would rate this book 7/10

Louis

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s garden is a story about April trying to find happiness even when bad things have happened to her mother and her. In the story I first didn’t understand why they had to move, but my teachers told me that April had to move because she had an abusive father that may have not treated April’s mum correctly. In my opinion the book isn’t the happiest, but it still is a book that should have a chance at winning because it is an important topic. 4.2 stars 8.4/10 9+

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is about a girl called April and her mother, who takes her in the dead of night to a safehouse, away from their abusive father. Aeril wants everything to go back to normal and to have a normal family life but she struggles to adjust. I don’t like the style of the scratchy crayon marks in the illustrations as they look a bit rushed and drab. I would recommend this book to anyone facing the same problems as April, also to tell you that you're not the only one facing this problem. I would rate this book a 3/10.

Daniel

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April's Garden is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read. It is about a little girl named April who has moved into a drab,grey safe house with her mother.April is given gifts such as flower seeds and colouring books from the refugee woman who allowed them to stay.April plants the seeds but they refuse to grow April waits and waits but still they refuse to grow.My favourite scene is when April sees little green shoots growing out of her plant pots when she moves into a new house with her mum.I would recommend this book to all people aged 7 years old and under and I would give it a 7/10.

Reya

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is a very meaningful book about a little girl who is trying to become herself again during a difficult time. I found that the colours really expressed the mood a lot. For example, there is a page where April is gazing out the window on a rainy day. The rain represents teardrops and sadness which is what April is feeling at that moment. Although, the light in the window represents that hope is starting to sprout. I quite like how the illustrations are quite scruffy. The different lines show that the characters are either happy, sad, depressed and hopeful. In the end, I love how the flowers are drawn with lots of colour and everything else is really faded. I think that this is to show that hope will always be there, no matter what, and no matter how long it takes. This book is suitable for 9+ because this book is about a very serious topic that might make young people feel scared or worried. Even though it is a serious book, it is probably very meaningful to people who have actually been through this or are going through this right now. I give this book a 7/10.

Tara

Latymer Prep Shadowers

I find this an okay book with detailed and accurate illustrations. April is moved to a large house where they live for a while and April starts to get upset and mad, but soon April grows seeds and the seeds grow with her. I like how Catalina Echeverri makes the weather reflect April's feelings especially when it rains April is sad, bored or frustrated. I think April’s Garden is an OK book because the colours are a little bit dull. I would recommend this book for ages ten and over or children that enjoy learning new things. I would rate this 6/10.😅

Victor

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is about a girl called April and her mother, who takes her in the middle of the night to safehome, away from their abusive father. April wants life to be like a normal family’s life, and struggles to adjust. I don’t like the style of scratchy crayon in the illustrations, and I feel that it was a bit rushed and it all looks a bit drab. I would recommend this to anyone facing April’s problems, to realise that you’re not the only one. I would rate it 4/10 and for 7+ to understand the deeper meaning.

James

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is about a girl called April and her mother, who takes her in the dead of night to a safehouse, away from their abusive father. Aeril wants everything to go back to normal and to have a normal family life but she struggles to adjust. I don’t like the style of the scratchy crayon marks in the illustrations as they look a bit rushed and drab. I would recommend this book to anyone facing the same problems as April, also to tell you that you're not the only one facing this problem. I would rate this book a 1/10.

Daniel

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April's Garden is a book about a little girl called April who has to move to a safe home with her mother who has clearly experienced some trauma. This was possibly because the husband might have been abusive and may have forced them out of the house. In this story, April is struggling to adjust to this new place and thinks that there is no hope but she learns that every cloud has a silver lining. The colours in this book are all very dark and Catalina uses lots of greys and blacks to fit the sad mood which doesn’t feel like it will get better. But as her flowers grow and April and her mum get a new house, the colours start getting brighter and the book gets happier. The drawings in this book are very sketchy and rough but they do convey a lot of emotions and the character’s body language expresses their feelings (lots of hunched up and worried shapes). I think that this book would be better for slightly older readers of about 10+, I think that if you are any younger than 10 years old, you probably wouldn’t get the storyline and you might be confused at why the book looks so depressing. Personally, I don’t love this story because I prefer brighter and more joyful stories. I would rate it a 3/10 but don’t let this stop you from reading this book because it is a very meaningful and touching story and other people may like this book.

Liberty

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is an amazing book about April and her mum looking for a new safe home.I love the illustrations because some of her kids did some flowers which i really like.I also liked the storyline because at the start it was really dark and later in the book April got happy so the illustrations got lighter.I would recommended this book to people aged 5 and above due to the sad theme.This book is good for people who have to move a lot so they know that there not alone. Ok book, could be better if it was a bit more happy.6/10!

Oliver S

Latymer Prep Shadowers

“This is not a story that may have happened to you, but many children in the world are facing this problem. Reading this story will help you understand the children that are going through this…”- Catalina Echeverri. A moving story about a little girl who -I have guessed- has been chased out of her house with her mother by presumably a man the mother had problems with. April’s (the little girl) feelings become moodier and moodier until she can’t bear it anymore. She shouts and shouts and she lets her feelings out. A kind neighbourhood lady helps them and gives them a roof over their head and brings colouring to April, and also a few seeds. April plants them, and slowly, as the seeds are growing and shoots are appearing, April's hope grows. The rough sketches that define April kind of demonstrates how young April is. The colour scheme of the DPS where April shouts is very fitting. In total, I would recommend this for 3+ and older children or people to understand the darker story. A 7.32 out of 10 for me.

Eleonore

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is a fine book about a young girl named April and her mother who are escaping from their home for an unknown reason. The main theme of this story is about hope and sadness. The illustrations in this book aren’t great as they are trying to show the mood but not very well because even the happy pages are still a bit dull, grey and boring. I am not a big fan of this book because of the dull illustrations and I don’t think it is a very exciting and interesting picture book. My favourite part of the book is at the start when April and her mum are trying to get away but we do not know why. I would recommend this book to 6+ because of some of the themes in the book. My rating for this book is 5/10.

Olly J

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden - a one-of-a-kind book with one-of-a-kind illustrations. April is a little girl who has moved into a new place with her mother, but she doesn’t like it at all. Some people may not notice, but this book has a hidden meaning. If you read the book carefully, you can realise that April and her mother are refugees who are looking for a place to stay (or at least that’s how I see it!). The illustrations remind me of a child’s drawing, but it gives off a good effect because it makes it seem like April wrote the book. The flowers at the end show hope which I think is very important because it shows that April did get a happy ending, even if at the start it didn’t seem like she would. Catalina’s use of a dull colour palette with bright colours only for the flowers tells us that the flowers make April happy and hopeful. This is a book for children or adults who are interested in or are going through similar things to April. 7/10 for this book!

Maya K

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is a heartbreaking story about a girl who had to change homes and feels frustrated. These illustrations are really unique and has a really deep meaning. I love how the flowers are really colourful and contrast against the rest of the page and I like how Catalina keeps a colour scheme, the grey really reflects April’s mood. The use of collage is really effective. I would recommend this to anyone and a 6/10 from me.

Elodie

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April's Garden is a heartwarming story about April and her mum moving to a big house. The illustrations are beautiful and I love how Catalina Echeverri really shows when April is happy or not with colour. I also really liked how she does the drawings in crayon and then adds the pattern on the computer. I can see that she really took this book seriously and wanted to put the story out there. I would recommend this book for ages 7+. A 9.5/10 from me.

Taicia

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s garden is an emotional book about a young refugee called April who has taken refuge in a big house. I like the book because it teaches young children about refuge and shows just how hard it can be to be a refugee. I like the detail on the illustrations as they really make them pop out at you. A nice story for 3 and up and a 6/10 from me.

Ben 5S

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is a powerful book about a girl and her mother who are displaced from their home. April is given some seeds to plant in some plastic stacking cups and as the seeds grow the colours in the book until the flowers are fully grown and April is happy. The brush strokes in the book really suit April and her lifestyle. My favourite page is at the end because everything is colour full and April is happy. This amazing book for 4+. 8/10.

Xander

Latymer Prep Shadowers

Aprils garden is a very interesting book about April and her mum running away. They go into a flat and not only is she the only child in her family she is the only child in the flat. You can feel how uncomfortable she is when she enters the house and then the calm after the storm when she gets relieved of being in that house. Overall this book is not one of my favourites so I will give it a 6.5/10

Rose

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is a strong and powerful book about having hope even when times might be hard. I really like this book because even with the quite serious themes they somehow managed to put it into a children's book.The illustrations really nicely portray April’s mood. I enjoyed the use of vignettes and spots on the different pages. The illustrations are super creative and I like the design of all the different characters. The colours are dull but in this book that’s a good thing because of how serious the theme is. I recommend this book to anyone who is also going through the things April may be going through. I rate this wonderful book a 7/10.

Niam

Latymer Prep Shadowers

I quite liked this book because the illustrations gave a show of massive emotion and feeling. I love that it's really different from the other 8 books because it expresses emotions and quite old sayings like all clouds have a silver lining. I also like how the seeds in the cups express April's emotions because when April is sad the seeds aren't growing but when she’s happy the seeds start growing again. I also like the colour in the book i think it also describes her emotions really well because when it’s dark and grey April is really sad But when there are bright colours April is really happy . I would rate this book an 7/10 because in some places it is way to serious and not suited for ages 5 or below But I really like this book in total and appropriate for ages 6+.

Ada

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April's Garden is a heartwarming story. Although the colours are quite bland there are some positive sides to it like some pages are colourful and some aren’t as colourful. The book is about a girl called April and she has gone through a hard time at home and April has to keep moving houses and where she lives. It would be a comforting story for refugees who are looking for a home. I would rate this book a 6\10 and for ages 5+ because it is quite a serious book.

Freddie

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April's garden is a book about a girl who is moving away from home to go to a new home a long way away and doesn't want to go from home but it is out of her control. The neighbourhood ladies brought lots of toys for april and one of the things that they brought was seeds for April to plant and as they grow the story gets more jolly and cheerful which is completely the opposite of what the book was like at the start which is a giant contrast of the emotion. I rate this book a 7/10 because it was not as good as the other books.

Josh

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April's garden is a heartwarming story about a girl named April who is moving houses and finding happiness in flowers. Although the illustrations may look bad there are lots of details on every page. I like how when April is sad all the colours are grey and when she is a bit happier the colours are brighter. I recommend this book to anyone who‘s moving a lot and can’t find happiness.

Benjamin

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is an amazing book about serious themes in life through a child’s point of view. Catalina Echeverri’s drawings give clues to the reader of April’s mood such as on the second page, the pouring rain demonstrates April’s horrible mood. I would recommend this book for children over the age of 6 and for kids who are moving house or who are facing a similar situation. 9/10.

Zain

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is a novel about a girl called April who is going through some tough times in her life. In the book when she gets angry she will also find happiness and love around her all the time. I don’t think she realises how hard her mum is working for her in the new home, When she gets angry and says I hate this place that will really hurt her mom's feelings. I like that when she gets angry and comes back inside there is always a thing or a toy for her and she doesn’t really appreciate what she has been given by neighbours and what her mum has done for her all her life it is like she is in a bubble and only cares about herself. I really like the mix of emotions in the book. I would recommend this to 7+ and people who might be going through the same thing to understand that there are so many people out there going through the same thing as them. This is 8.5/10.🤩🥳

kit

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s Garden is a very powerful story about hope. In this book April’s hope grows and grows just like the tiny seeds she planted. I love how the backgrounds match April’s mood in every illustration, for example when she arrives at the first house, it’s rainy and dark, down and dreary. Exactly what April feels. I also like the use of vignettes which makes the story look amazing and adds to the beautiful illustrations. I also love how when the background is grey the writing is sort of highlighted in white just to make it pop in the backdrop behind. It makes it look like April has made the book herself and stuck on the text like it is a scrapbook. I love this book and would give it a 8.2/10 and would recommend it for ages 7+ as this book has a very meaningful understory behind it so it isn’t the best book for very young children.

Leyla

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April's garden is a great book about a small girl who's moved house. I really like how the colours reflect April's feelings. Also, as you read more, the colours become more bright and vivid. I would recomend this book for 8-11 year olds and I give it a 7/10/

Srishti

Latymer Prep Shadowers

Aprils Garden is a charming book about a girl who can't seem to find what she likes.I thought that the book was a really good book and that if anybody read it I think personally that they would learn a really good lesson that not everything in your life is perfect like the phrase, the ups only come with the down, so I would really recommend this book. Also I thought that it was a lovely book to read and that the drawing really pictured what the little girl was thinking and feeling. All in all, I really enjoyed the book and it was lovely to read. Aloughtho this book has a great message i would say this is a bit too serious for young children. A 6.5/10 6+.

Maxim

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s garden is a heartwarming story about a little girl called April who tries to find happiness in her new home. I think the message coming from the book is that you can find happiness everywhere and also that you should always look at the bright side of everything. I think that the illustrator has also put this message that a lot of people have family problems, like April, but some people hide their problems. I rate this book 7.5/10 and I recommend it for children who want to learn more about what other people have to deal with, which is why I quite like this book.

Iris

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s garden is a book about a little girl named April fleeing in the middle of the night to a new home. April moves into her new room and draws a picture of her dream garden, so April plants some seeds and waits and waits and waits for them to grow. However, they don’t, April doesn't think this is fair… Then a little shoot appears. April’s garden is a book filled with many different emotions. Scenes could be grey when april feels lonely, then scenes could be pink but the colours are all there for reasons. For example, when April is leaving to her new home monochrome colours fill the page or when the flowers sprout and grow bigger and bigger beautiful flowers coloured red, orange, blue, pink, green and yellow appear and April feels happy. I rate this book for any age, I believe this book is for everyone. I rate April's garden a 9.5/10.

Ollie M

Latymer Prep Shadowers

April’s garden is a book about a little girl named April fleeing in the middle of the night to a new home. April moves into her new room and draws a picture of her dream garden, so April plants some seeds and waits and waits and waits for them to grow. However, they don’t ,April doesn't think this is fair …. Then a little shoot appears. April’s garden is a book filled with many different emotions. Scenes could be grey ,then scenes could be pink but the colours are all there for reasons. For example, when April is leaving to her new home monochrome colours fill the page or when the flowers sprout and grow bigger and bigger beautiful flowers coloured red, orange, blue, pink, green and yellow. I rate this book for any age, I believe this book is for everyone. I rate April's garden a 9.5/10.

Ollie M

Latymer Prep Shadowers

This book is sad at the beginning but then April gets happier because she has a new home and her flowers have grown!

Georgina

Malvern St James

I really liked Aprils garden because I found that the illustrations told a story themselves. When the drawings were coloured, dark colours it set a dismal mood in the readers mind, when the pictures were in bright colours it set a cheerful mood in the readers mind.

Dorothy

St Andrew’s Primary Academy

Lamine

Our Lady of Lourdes

Klay

Our Lady of Lourdes

Nathan

Our Lady of Lourdes

Nandi

Our Lady of Lourdes

Taya

Our Lady of Lourdes

Danish

Our Lady of Lourdes

Hanna

Our Lady of Lourdes

Fabian

Our Lady of Lourdes

I thought this book was very heartwarming and it gave a different perspective of other people's lives that I think is really important.

Evie

Southborough Shadowers

It was a really sad story and I felt a lot of empathy for April. I liked the illustration style because it was like April was drawing the book.

Henrietta

Southborough Shadowers

It was a very heartfelt story.

Chloe

Southborough Shadowers

I found the book very heartwarming and emotional. I really liked it.

Max

Southborough Shadowers

Erica

SMM Bibliophiles

I liked Aprils garden because it starts dark and gloomy then it turns happy and joyful.

Isla

Holy Trinity Rothwell

I loved April’s garden because I like how the author did when the plant didn’t grow he made the plant grow and made the little girl happy my score is 10/10

Phoebe

Holy Trinity Rothwell

The illustrations in this book tell more of the story by using colours to show how April is feeling when she has to leave home and start a new life and thats what I like about it. As she begins to settle down and grow her garden, the illustrations become more colourful.

Adam

Lionel Readers

This book told a good story about a girl who longed for a safe place to stay and much more settled life. April wanted her own toys and her own colouring books. It made her so happy to see that the flowers had grown in the little pots. Nothing else seemed to matter from that moment on in her new home. She was then very happy. The illustrations were childlike and very clear. I liked the way it looked like April could have drawn them herself! 6/10

Emy

Rebel Readers

This book is very inspirational and motivational. It sparks a sense of hope and strengthens the idea of the power of time and wait. It is done through simple, yet powerful illustrations and creative descriptions. 9/10 !

Jewel

Archbishop Temple Carnegie Award group

I read this book to my brother. He liked it but it wasn't the best.

Abigail

Archbishop Temple Carnegie Award group

My siblings really loved this book and they want to read more books like this one.

Manna

Archbishop Temple Carnegie Award group

this book illustrations are amazing many simple strokes forming together to make a beautiful picture with sooo many colors making it pop out the page !!!

Layla

BFS Umbra

I really enjoyed Aprils garden, I felt the pictures really told the story as well but the pictures were very grey up until the last 2 or 3 pages. overall 2.5/5 stars

Poppy S

Norwich High School Bookworms

I found this book to have a beautiful message in it and I love the illustration it looks like a lot of time has been put into illustrating in Aprils garden

Bella

Holy Trinity Rothwell

I love the illustrations in this book, they're so pretty and vibrant which would make me choose if in a library.

Isla

Rebel Readers

I think that April's Garden is great. It has a lovely message within it about how things WILL get better in the end. It is nice how the presents she is given are used to make her garden. I would recommend this book to anyone who is feeling lonely and maybe has to move to a different place in a hurry.

Michael

Rebel Readers

I liked how as soon as you opened the book it brought you straight into the book and how at the beginning it was dark but in some of the pictures it was too dark. It was a bit hard to see some of the details like the mum in the car. I liked how it went from dark to colourful and I really liked the moral that was to be patient because good things come to those who are patient and I liked like the colouring pencils style effect.

Maddie

Malvern St James

The book's impact is beautiful.5/5. The pictures are nice but for me they seem messy or scruffy because of all the lines on the hair and things.3/5. The use of images is pretty good but it seems very much the same very much the same in my opinion. The format is quite good but I didn't like how sometimes the font and changes.

Elin

Malvern St James

Layla

BFS Umbra

Vega

Dovery Academy

I loved April's Garden. At the beginning she is so sad then she gets some tiny cute flower pots but the seeds didn't grow because she was sad. Then after a while the mother gains enough money to get a new home and she becomes happier. Suddenly the seeds grow into lovely, pretty flowers. My favourite page is the one where she draws her dream home and a couple of pages later, they move into their dream home. It is like the one April drew with all the flowers around it!

David

Rebel Readers

I like this book because it teaches children about patience. It also has lovely bright flowers and beautiful pictures as though they were drawn by a child. I would rate this book 5/10

Eimear

Rebel Readers

I definitely like April Garden because as it very detailed pictures . I rate it 9\10, mainly because of its dark colours, nonetheless I still like it. it would be a perfect read for children from 4-10 year old. It tells a good story and the pictures matches the words well.

Megan

Barrow Bookworms

I thought that the book was a really good book and that if anybody read it I think personally that they would learn a really good lesson that not everything in your life is perfect like the phrase, the ups only come with the down, so I would really recommend this book. Also I thought that it was a lovely book to read and that the drawing really pictured what the little girl was thinking and feeling. All in all, I really enjoyed the book and it was lovely to read.

Rosalie

Malvern St James

I thought the book was amazing but I do think it could have a bit more imagination and it could be longer. She is just angry and stroppy. It's very good for younger kids (2 to 3) I love that the plants grow really colourful, I loved the pictures but they were really dark and dim, a little boring. It could be extraordinarily amazing if it had lots of bright colours and a few dim colours so their eyes do not pop out, if it was longer it could be a great book. People could feel like they were in the book and use more imagination. But all together it was nice, I liked the pictures.

Freya

Malvern St James

I like this book because it shows a wonderful story showing how to be patient. I would love to recommend this book 🌺🌹 📓

Rhea

Bispham Bookworms

the book is great

anu

Orpington Library Chatterbooks Group

The illustrations were really good and I really liked the page were there was a collage of April's dream house.

Albert

Alexandra Readers

This is the story about April's garden. April was not happy when she and her mom moved. The new house was big and had a garden. It was raining. April and her mom only had pennies for their own. April wanted to grow flowers of different shapes. She waited and waited and waited then her mom said to her, "It takes a while to grow," Finally, April saw little green shoots coming out. Mama said, "You have to find a good place for them." The flowers were pink and had different shapes. April was really, really happy!

munisa

Readers are leaders

I love how when you look at the front cover there is sadness but also bright flowers crowding around the little girl. I also love how you can see the strokes of the pencil because it looks like it has rough edges and its like the story of the little girl in the flesh and in the drawings.

Martha-May

West Buckland Shadowers

I love the house April drew it was nice and colourful.

Zara

New Hall Prep Readers

I really enjoyed this book! The illustrations are amazing and the story itself is great! When we had to choose which book we liked this one caught my attention ,sadly I wasn't there to read it so I bought it instead!

Nina

New Hall Prep Readers

Ozain

Readers are leaders

This book is all about patience. April has to endure and wait for her flowers to grow and she says that it's hard to wait but finally, they grew after all her hard work and I learned to be patient.

Rodiyallah

Readers are leaders

I really enjoyed reading Aprils Garden because the pictures in this book told the story. I liked how she drew a colourful house then the house became her home.

HARRIET

Barrow Bookworms

I think in my opinion that it is a very inspiring and it teaches people a lesson to imagine.

Maisie

Woore Book Club

Sam

chatterbox

I really liked the colours in this book. They stand out from all the white background. It was sad that the children had to leave their homes and escape to America. i would rate this book 10/10

Emilie

Rebel Readers

I really loved this book because it teaches the importance of being patient and it's good to have hope. I will be thrilled to recommend this book. 🪻🌷📕

Evelyn

Bispham Bookworms

Aprils Garden shows that you change is normal and you just need a little patience. I like it because it has beautiful drawings.

Joshua

Bispham Bookworms

A beautiful way to talk about a really difficult subject. The illustrations really enhance the story, making April 's story understandable for younger readers. This book is deceptively simple!

Mrs Parr

Appleton readers

I love how when April draws her dream garden, the colours completely change. I also like when she grows her dream. Her dream comes true. I recommend this book to children of all ages

sarah

Readers are leaders

it was lovely and touching in a beautiful way

Delilah

Roche Readers

A lovely, heartfelt story about never giving up hope. The ending seems like it would be dark, but everything ends up "happy" in the end. It's interesting how the illustrations reflect the mood of the story. For example: at the saddest time, the story is in black and white, but at the most upbeat, there is only one word on the page: "happy". 9.5/10 stars.

Rapha

Roche Readers

The illustrations in this book were absolutely superb they were so moving, I felt like crying at the End the flowers were so brilliant i thought five illustrators drew them.

Astrid

Roche Readers

I think ‘April’s Garden’ was a very inspiring and motivating book to read because there are lots of good sayings. I loved the illustrations, as they made me feel happy and I especially love the picture of when April’s little seeds transformed into beautiful, tall flowers.

Amelia

Woore Book Club

I really liked the book April’s Garden because it has art which starts off plain and ends colourful which I like. Overall it’s an amazing book. I also liked how April was upset moving away until she became happy. I rate it 5/5 stars.

Annika

St James Hatcham Book Club

This book was very good and it had lots of amazing drawings in it. On one or two pages, the artist used a variety of different colours. I enjoyed it but it’s not my favourite because I did not like that majority of the setting were drawn using dark and grey colours.

Matilda

Barrow Bookworms

It was an interesting book and I do like gardening myself as I find it satisfying.

Bethany

Bramcote College Bookclub

I thought the pictures were helpful to show how April was feeling. I think this book is suitable for nursery school children. My sister is at nursery and she would like this book. One thing I would improve is to make the pictures brighter where she is happy.

Imogen

Bramcote College Bookclub

I think this book was Interesting, I really enjoyed it the colours and the drawings and every other things. I think April was so brave to endure all the hard times and she learnt how to be patient that the happy times will come one day.

Viana

Bramcote College Bookclub

Good book for dyslexic people. I would recommend for them its a really easy story to read and its a really good book. Please read it, its amazing and magnificent!

lucas

Bramcote College Bookclub

I thought this book was a bit young for me and for the ages from 3+. This made me feel bored not exited to read this book, but if I was little I would probably love it a lot. If I had to change anything to the book I would make there be more reading so kids can image what is happing.

Harry

Bramcote College Bookclub

I feel it was bit to young for me. I thought it was a bit boring and had no action, though I probably would like it when I was younger and would recommend it for younger people aged 5+.

Finlay

Bramcote College Bookclub

I think this book is very well illustrated , the pictures are very detailed and easy to understand what is going on. And the story line is not complicated to read and enjoy , so little kids can read it as well as. I really enjoyed it! I would definitely recommend this book to older and younger kids , and its also not that long of a book. Although I do wish it had a bit more writing so there is more of a story.

Evie-May

Bramcote College Bookclub

I did not like this book because i feel like im a bit to old for me i thought it was a bit boring and had no action i probably would like it when i was younger i would recommend it for younger people aged 5+ i thought the title was good and detailed i wonder if there could be more topics it I rate this book a 6/10 i think it will be an amazing book for younger people.

Daniel

Bramcote College Bookclub

This book is lovely, however it does start off sad then it has a happy ending. The most sad thing about this book for me is probably the fact that there isn't a dad in this story. And because there isn't a dad in this story it leads for me to think that the dad might have died or the dad might have left the mum. However there are some more sad things that are in this story like when she doesn't like the clothes that her neighbours give her and she goes into a huff because of this. But I think that this story also has a meaning. The meaning is to respect others.

Narina

Brooke Weston Book Busters

I liked it because the pictures are not not too colourful, it is very gloomy and miserable. This book made me feel comfortable (cosy and made me feel relaxed). It's cool, I rate it for kids 10-13 years

Rozalia Mutaf

Brooke Weston Book Busters

I recommend the book to older kids because it has some topics which some younger kids might not understand. April moved and she lived in a big house and she was not happy because she wanted a plant to grow but thought that it was dead and the neighbours gave her a lot of things like toys. In the end she was happy again.

Lucienne

Brooke Weston Book Busters

I enjoyed this book. It was about a girl called April and she didn't have any money and needed to go to the homeless shelter with her parents. She and her family were in a house with strangers. She was gloomy because she missed her old house. In addition, all she wanted was a garden and her mum was cheering her up and trying to make her happy. I would say that people at the age of 6+ would read this because there are some sad scenes in this book but there is a happy ending. And, there are a lot of different pictures.

Nicola

Brooke Weston Book Busters

I liked this book because it was about a girl called April who wanted a garden and she was moving house because she didn't like the house she was in. I think that 7/8 yeas old would like this because it has different pictures in it.

hayden

Brooke Weston Book Busters

Rodiyallah

Readers are leaders

Rodiyallah

Readers are leaders

Sarah

Readers are leaders

When she was sad there was gloomy pictures and rain when she was happy there was sun and flowers.

Jack

Bramcote College Bookclub

I thought it was good had a great storyline could be a bit longer the pictures really showed her feelings and the mood .

Dylan

Bramcote College Bookclub

I like the colours in the book and the different flowers. The one things didn't like was the book could of been a bit longer.

Oliver

Bramcote College Bookclub

The story was really nice, it helps more people understand more about what changes others are going through.

Daisy

Bramcote College Bookclub

I think the pictures fitted the mood when she was upset the colours were dark and dull, but when she found her flower seeds it was more bright and happy, which made it pop.

Ella

Bramcote College Bookclub

I think that the book Aprils Garden is a good book because it tells you that people may be going through something, but do not show it and its fun to read and look at all the drawings that are in it.

Evie

Bramcote College Bookclub

April's Garden is a good book. This book is very bright and colourful it describes so much about this book. I rate this book 8/10

Ailise

Rebel Readers

April's Garden is a very colourful story book, that in my opinion appeals to younger children with the style of font and colours. The story is very clear and strong if you just looked at the illustrations and ignored the writing. I think this book is very well illustrated and is very eye catching. The colours used work very well to make you feel a certain emotion. I don't have any issues with the book, therefore I rate it 10/10. I felt a bit sorry for April at the start, and at the end I felt happy that everything worked out for her.

Jennifer

Rebel Readers

The illustrations are very good at conveying the mood and perspectives of the main characters. In the beginning everything's very dark, dull and gloomy, mirroring April's feelings at that time. You can tell she's confused and has no idea what's happening, because she's portrayed as almost being dragged from something, and the illustrations show her and her mother are escaping in fear. As they arrive at their temporary home the pictures lighten a little, as if the fear is wearing off, but April still perceives the outside world as frightening because outside of the house, the illustrations go back to dark and grey. April draws her dream house and garden, it's very colourful and optimistic and you can tell that she's hoping life will be better some day. April has fled with nothing but the clothes on her back, this becomes more obvious because the neighbourhood ladies give her things which it's clear have been used, for example the pencils she uses to draw her house with, they are all mismatched, there is no sets, they are a collection of random markers, colouring pencils and crayons. Also when she goes to the garden, the coat is too long and her boots are too big implying that these too are borrowed. Each time we see her mum, she starts to look better as her time passes in the safe house. The pictures projecting from the sun portray that things are starting to look brighter and better times are coming. The illustrations showing April and her mother moving into their new house use April's picture to show that this feels like her dream home and what she wished for. I enjoyed the book because the illustrations were very meaningful and enjoyed analysing them.

Rosellen

Rebel Readers

The illustrations reminded me of the drawings a child would do in Primary School. I definitely recommend it because of how good the images are. They made me feel sad, at the beginning, and hopeful at the end. I really wanted to read on.

Ciarrai

Rebel Readers

I thought it was a good book that my group looked at because April's mum wanted to move to a new house because the old house was not a good place to live. I would think that children 7 years old would enjoy looking at this book.

hayden

Brooke Weston Book Busters

To be fair I liked it, because it included some of the family, house and some emotional problems. Also, I just enjoyed it because it had cool pictures! I think that young children 10-15 years old will actually understand what the thought and meaning behind the book is - in particular the problems and what she is feeling.

Rozalia

Brooke Weston Book Busters

I liked the book because it shows a girl who moved house and her emotions about moving home. I recommend age 8+ because they can read it but it could be upsetting to 5 year olds.

lucienne

Brooke Weston Book Busters

Aprils garden is a wonderful book and I recommend it. It starts off sad and gloomy but at the end April is very happy. April and her mum then move into a new and lovely house together. The message is that there is always hope.

Lily

Rebel Readers

This book was great. I quite honestly didn't understand what it was about at first and just thought it was about a young girl thriving even though she was living in a horrible environment, but my friend explained that it was about April moving away from an abusive household. The use of colours shows this too, since in the start it's very grey and dingy to show that April is upset and then at the end April is happy and it's shown through very bright colours. The author (illustrator?) also uses the flowers that April grows to show that someone can grow even in the worst environments, and even when the seeds are just planted it gives April something to have hope about and the full growth of the flowers at the end of the book could show that April is finally content and is no longer fearful, rather feeling free in her new home. In this book, nature is presented as healing, and we are again showed this through the flowers as April seems much happier when they've bloomed fully than when they were simply little seeds. Additionally, the flowers are all very vibrant and not only do they add to the vibrant environment in the end that shows April's freedom and happiness, but they could represent her emotions. In an abusive (or overall traumatic) environment many people are forced to repress their emotions and the full blooming of April's colourful flowers could show that not only has she grown, but she has learned to show her emotions and is comfortable with knowing that showing them is normal.

Tilly

Reading allowed

April’s Garden is a good book to teach children that good things will happen but it takes patience for that to happen. A quote from the book is Every Cloud has a Silver Lining.

Splendor

St James Hatcham Book Club