Flower Garden. ISBN 0-15-228776-0. Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt. 1994. Parenting Outstanding Children's Book of the Year. Ages 4-8. African-American.

A young girl and her father buy and plant a flower box of different types of flowers as a surprise gift for her mother’s birthday. They buy the flowers at the grocery store and live in an apartment in a city. The girl must carry the flowers from the store, on the city bus, and up the stairs of the apartment building. Then, the planter must be planted before Mom arrives home. “I can hardly wait” and “Hurry! Hurry!” cause us to wonder what the excitement is all about. Is she simply excited to plant her flowers, or is there something else about to happen? The bright oil paintings in this book bring the story to life by showing emotion on faces as well as a sense of joy and peace on pages absent of words.

Discussion surrounding this lovely picture book could go in many different directions, from the types of flowers and their colors to why there might be ladybugs on the flowers. In a rural or suburban school, there could be a dialogue about city living and differences in lifestyles. This book could also be used to talk about finding joy in giving to others.