LoveReading4Kids Says
The classic story of how unhappy Mary Lennox is transformed by her friendship with Dickon, the garden boy and the wonders of nature that he reveals to her in the secret garden. Unabridged, this is nicely produced in a sturdy hardback edition. We also rate very highly the edition from Walker Books.
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From Michael Morpurgo: "I love this story of a girl's life being changed by nature."
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The Secret Garden Synopsis
The illustrations for this series were created by Scott McKowen, who, with his wife Christina Poddubiuk, operates Punch & Judy Inc., a company specializing in design and illustration for theater and performing arts. Their projects often involve research into the visual aspects of historical settings and characters. Christina is a theater set and costume designer and contributed advice on the period clothing for the illustrations.
Scott created these drawings in scratchboard - an engraving medium which evokes the look of popular art from the period of these stories. Scratchboard is an illustration board with a specifically prepared surface of hard white chalk. A thin layer of black ink is rolled over the surface, and lines are drawn by hand with a sharp knife by scraping through the ink layer to expose the white surface underneath. The finished drawings are then scanned and the color is added digitally.
Born in India, the unattractive and willful Mary Lennox has remained in the care of servants for as long as she can remember. But the girl's life changes when her mother and father die and she travels to Yorkshire to live with her uncle. Dark, dreary Misselthwaite Manor seems full of mysteries, including a very special garden, locked tight for 10 years. With the help of Dickon, a local boy, Mary intends to uncover its secrets.
About This Edition
About Frances Hodgson Burnett
Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) was born in Manchester, England, on November 24, 1849. Her mother moved to Knoxville, Tenessee in 1865. Miss Hodgson began writing for magazines soon after. Her first widely-known story appeared in "Scribner's Magazine" in 1872.
Frances married Dr. L. M. Burnett of Washington D.C. in 1873. In 1898 she divorced Dr. Burnett and married Mr. Stephen Townsend in 1900.
Her reputation as a novelist was made with her story of Lancashire life, That Lass o' Lowrie's. A number of other works followed, with Through One Administration and A Lady of Quality as the most notable.
In 1886 she published the Little Lord Fauntleroy, which was dramatized during her life and (now safely out of copyright) continues as videos and movies. Her children's books, including the marvelous Secret Garden and Sara Crew (later rewritten to become: A Little Princess) are what she is best known for today, but her romance novels were very popular during her lifetime.
More About Frances Hodgson Burnett