Starred review from April 8, 2024
Like her parents, young Prunella is a gifted gardener, but the child’s botanical tastes are a world apart. Born with a purple thumb, she favors fungi over ferns, cultivates a patch of poison ivy, and loves anything “strange and curious,” including “bladderworts, porcupine tomatoes, and corpse flowers.” Prunella loves her odd garden, and her somewhat puzzled parents nevertheless fuel her passion, but her interests leave neighborhood peers “not only nervous but nauseated”; it all leads to isolation that finds Prunella perceived as “persnickety” and “prickly.” Then one day, a boy walks into her garden, asks genuinely interested questions, and introduces Prunella to an entire community of passionate kid botanists (plus a mycologist and one junior entomologist), who clamor for her wisdom and enthusiasm. As Prunella’s defenses melt, she feels a “tiny seed inside” that “sprouted and stretched and soared.” Alliterative prose by Ferry (The Christmassy Cactus) and digital artwork by Keane (Make Way), rendered in luxuriant, jewel-toned colors and balletic, inky lines, prove as lovely as a warted puffball as they chronicle Prunella’s journey from isolation to connection—the protagonist’s sense of relief at finally finding her people is palpable and deeply reassuring. A glossary provides additional information about mentioned species. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.
May 1, 2024
A girl with unconventional passions finds her community. Shocking her parents--both expert gardeners--baby Prunella arrives not with the proverbial green thumb, but a purple one. Accordingly, Prunella's plant affinities run to the spiny, carnivorous, fungal, and poisonous sorts. While her parents don't always understand her predilections, they nurture them anyway. From bladderwort to voodoo lilies, her plants "pinched and poked and reeked." Neighborhood kids avoid Prunella and her garden. Like a species with protective spines, Prunella grows "prickly," eschewing her peers. Though concerned, her parents know that her "strong roots" will help her "blossom" when she's ready. Opportunity arrives with Oliver, a young aspiring botanist who can correctly identify Prunella's plants and convinces her to diagnose his ailing Venus flytrap. Prunella begins to open up as Oliver and his sister, future mycologist Clem, enter her life, planting a "tiny, hopeful friend-shaped seed." The siblings connect her with a "bouquet of botanists" (as well as "one very curious entomologist"), and the fruit from a thorny new plant--blackberries!--stains everyone's thumbs purple. Keane supplies accomplished, episodic, animation-influenced illustrations in a palette of blue-gray, ochre, and red. Kids attracted to unusual plants will encounter an equally satisfying theme: Cultivate your passions, and your people will show up. Prunella and her parents are brown-skinned with straight black hair, Oliver and Clem are Black, and the community is diverse. Grounded in both nature and nurture: a tale sure to affirm the nonconformist's spirit. (information on "Prunella's persnickety plants") (Picture book. 4-8)
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Starred review from July 1, 2024
Preschool-Grade 3 *Starred Review* Born with a purple thumb, Prunella shares a love of flora with her master-gardener parents, although her plant proclivities tend toward the spiky, stinky, and noxious varieties. With care and devotion, the child fills her garden with "bladderworts, porcupine tomatoes, and corpse flowers." Her unique horticultural handiwork makes the neighborhood kids "not only nervous but nauseated." Prunella tries inviting them in and sharing her passion and knowledge, but thorns, bees, and carnivorous plants send her peers heading to greener pastures. Content with the company of a prized cactus, she grows the reputation of being "prickly." When Oliver, a young aspiring botanist with a simpatico penchant for skunk cabbage and Venus flytraps, enters her garden, "it [plants] a seed. A tiny, hopeful friend-shaped seed." As solid bonds with kindred spirits take root, Prunella blossoms. Speech-bubble dialogue extends the wordplay-filled narrative. In nightshade-purple and berry-blue hues, Keane's (I Want 100 Dogs, 2023) cartoony digital artwork creates an earthy atmosphere. Endpapers provide an illustrated, annotated catalog of "Prunella's Persnickety Plants." This delightful picture book cleverly shows how good things grow by following your interests and cultivating genuine connections.
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Starred review from September 13, 2024
Gr 2-4-Prunella is a young girl who loves plants, especially those that are carnivorous, stinky, or painful to the touch. Her parents encourage her hobby, but her classmates find Prunella and her plants unusual and off-putting. She grows up with only the company of her greenery, until she meets a small crew of like-minded botanists fascinated with her plants. The story is told through text traditionally positioned in the story panels as well as through dialogue bubbles that are incorporated into the artwork. Digital artwork is sophisticated, which further lends the book a graphic novel feel. The illustrations are lush: characters are expressive, brush strokes are bold, plants are lovingly rendered, and the color palette is pleasing. Characters of different races and physical abilities are depicted, although most body types are slender. Endpapers include expanded information about Prunella's favorite plants, like cacti and Venus fly traps. The book has a fresh and lovely outcome: Prunella's happiness lies not in winning over the affections of those who see her and her hobbies gross and strange; she finds contentment when she finds a community of people with similar interests. VERDICT This is not only a unique story with a strong message, but the spotlight on lesser-appreciated plants makes this book a must-buy.-Chance Lee Joyner
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