Inside The Secret Garden
A Treasury of Crafts, Recipes and Activities
By Carolyn Strom Collins, Christina Wyss Eriksson 
Illustrators: Mary Collier & Tasha Tudor

     Authors’ Collins and Eriksson bring readers (young and old) the perfect companion to France Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. It’s a nonfiction book in which the authors first give a synopsis of The Secret Garden, then go into the biography of Burnett, and share where Burnett may have gotten her ideas. But that isn’t all! They also present menus and recipes from The Secret Garden and let readers try them for themselves. It’s a wonderful challenge for parents and their children.

     Also in the book are mentions of the garden itself and ideas on how to create the same thing. Breathe easy, parents! They don’t expect readers to create a rose garden surrounded by a ten-foot wall. There are also wonderful craft ideas with colorful pictures. My favorite part, the “Skipping Rope” section, takes me back to childhood. In some parts of the country, this is a lost art among kids. Here’s a chance to either bring it back or add to what you and your friends already know.

     Let’s not overlook the illustrations, which are colorful and expressive, very smart indeed. The pictures in the activities and craft section help to make the instructions very clear.

      Parents, Inside The Secret Garden is one book you will want to accompany The Secret Garden, bringing even more pleasure to the classic tale. Libraries should also have this book, since there is enough information here to help with any type of school reports about The Secret Garden.